Countervail
by Airanke
Summary: A sudden message from Oda Nobunaga calling for an alliance of all of Japan leaves all the other generals shocked. What will they do when they find themselves trapped in an alternate reality, fighting somebody else's war?
1. Chapter 1

Well hi. I know that almost everyone who has subscribed to me on this site probably hates me for only writing stories for Sengoku Basara. Go complain to Kishimoto.

If you are confused by this chapter: **good, that's what I want you to be.** Also, I dare say I'm trying to kill myself writing from one character's point of view while trying to have that ONE character know what EVERYONE around them is doing.

No I won't describe the Basara cast involved in this story because you should already have a good idea of what they look like and if you don't, I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to go look up the characters yourself. I still have 1308720857 characters that I need to introduce to you later on anyway, and their descriptions alone will take up hefty parts of the chapters. Oh, keep in mind that I include characters from the third game in this as well.

"Countervail" is set in an alternate reality of Sengoku Basara. You will find out more as the story progresses, so please don't ask questions. However, if you do find it in yourself to review this story, please tell me what interests you about the world so far, and I'll keep it in mind for later chapters.

**Will update again in two weeks.** Or depending on how fast I finish writing chapters 2/3/4.

Main warning for this story: FRIGGIN HUGE OVERLOAD OF ORIGINAL CHARACTERS. Oh the treachery! _Deal with it._

Also um... apologies in advance for any out of character-ness of the characters. I haven't ever played the games so I have no idea what some of these characters are like... also, I was unaware of the fact that Nobunaga and Hideyoshi actually DON'T get along, so I went based off of history for their relationship which was a lot more friendly then their relationship in Basara, apparently... so, I apologize for that, and for any miss-use of honorifics that there may be, of which I am sure there are several.

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**Chapter 1: Assimilation.**

"Oyakata-sama... I, Yukimura, still don't understand _why_ the Demon King, of all people, would be calling for an alliance of, well, _everyone," _Yukimura informed his lord. Shingen nodded his head.

"It is quite surprising, Yukimura, but we'll see what this is all about when he gets here," Shingen's aged eyes looked over all the lords who were already present. Yukimura examined them as well.

Date Masamune was to Shingen's left, with Kojyuro on his left and Itsuki on his right. Then there was Tokugawa Ieyasu, with the Maeda clan between him and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had Hanbei and Mitsunari with him. Saika Magoichi was also with the Maeda clan, and was blatantly ignoring Keiji's shameless flirting with her. Chousukabe Motochika, Mouri Motonari and Otani Yoshitsugu were sitting quietly next to one another. Which was surprising to Yukimura considering that Motochika and Motonari were not on the best of terms with each other.

Yukimura glanced at Sasuke, who was chatting idly with Kasuga, though she was more interested in staring at Uesugi Kenshin then talking with Sasuke.

_'Where did the other shinobi go?'_ Yukimura wondered, eyes scouring the dimly lit room for any sign of Fuuma Kotaro. The shinobi shifted in the shadows near Yoshitsugu, as if he knew that Yukimura was searching for him. Yukimura stared at him for a moment, then returned to brooding. He caught movement near Motochika and squinted his eyes to see better behind the purple armored man.

Tsuruhime had poked her head out from behind Motochika and after seeing that Yukimura was staring at her she squeaked lightly and retracted her head.

Earlier that week an envoy from the Demon King had arrived, battered and bruised. He'd relayed the message for an alliance to Shingen before collapsing onto the ground. He was still being cared for by the doctors in a room not far from where everyone was. Shingen had then sent out a message to all the other lords to come and meet in Kai shortly after receiving the news from the Demon King's envoy. That's how they had gotten to this point of everyone being in the same room.

Masamune sighed; Yukimura's eyes flicked to him. He was rubbing the end of his overcoat in between his fingers while Itsuki tried to make him stop, grabbing his hand. It soon became a game between the two: every time Itsuki tried to grab Masamune's hand he jerked it away.

_'Masamune-dono has gotten quite impatient... I wonder where Oda Nobunaga-dono is...'_

Though he had sent out the request, Oda Nobunaga hadn't arrived in Kai yet. Yukimura fidgeted and Sasuke elbowed him lightly to make him stay still, muttering under his breath, "stop moving, danna."

_'It's so strange. Oda Nobunaga-dono is one of the most powerful men in the country, yet he's calling for an alliance of all the lords. Chousukabe-dono and -dono came from very far... I wonder why Toyotomi-dono didn't come with Oda-dono,'_ Yukimura's brown eyes settled on Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi was one of Nobunaga's generals, so why he wasn't with the Demon King Yukimura wanted to know. Hanbei noticed he was staring and gave him an icy look, which prompted Yukimura to quickly look away.

Footsteps were heard on the porch, urgent footsteps. Yoshitsugu, who was closest to the shoji door at the moment, looked up. The door was slammed open.

"Oyakata-sama!" the soldier had a heavily breathing Ranmaru under his arm. Maeda Matsu was quickly on her feet. She pulled Ranmaru into her arms when she reached the soldier.

"Ranmaru? Ranmaru, what happened?"

"Ugh... it hurts, Matsu-san, it hurts..."

"What hurts?" she demanded, carefully sitting on her knees, Ranmaru in her lap. His eyes flicked to his hand.

"My wrist. I – I think it's sprained..."

As she took his wrist into her hand the soldier moved to the side. Toshiie hurried out the door and exclaimed "Nobunaga-sama!" before disappearing from sight. Yukimura jumped up and followed him, while the other lords exchanged various looks.

Yukimura was in shock at what met his eyes.

Nobunaga was being supported by both Toshiie and Mitsuhide, Nou Hime flitting about him in panic. Nobunaga's shoulder looked like it had been torn open by something, and had been wrapped by a black fabric. A quick glance at Nou Hime made Yukimura blush lightly; the bottom of her kimono was missing. Quickly he returned to Shingen's side.

"Oyakata-sama, it appears as though Oda-dono has sustained injuries."

"Injuries? Nobunaga?" Hideyoshi barked, standing himself. He stomped towards the door.

By now everyone was standing and muttering. Yukimura looked at his rival to see his eyebrows drawn in. It was hard to believe that the Demon King had been injured.

Hideyoshi helped Mitsuhide and Toshiie get Nobunaga into the room, while Sasuke and Kotaro darted off to get doctors after an order from Shingen. Nou Hime was clammy and sweating, her hands shaking as she removed Nobunaga's face plate and started trying to get his armor off. Toshiie quickly assisted her in the task.

"What is the meaning of this? Who would dare injure Nobunaga-sama?" Mitsunari asked Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide shook his head, blinking his eyes rapidly.

"I don't know... they can't be too far behind," he replied.

"They?" Shingen repeated, "they who?"

Mitsuhide made a hand gesture for everyone to sit down. As everyone did he jerked his head up, eyes wild.

"Oichi-sama, where is Oichi-sama?" he darted out of the room. Yukimura was stunned by his display of worry. Sasuke and Kotaro returned with a few doctors who quickly got to work on taking care of Ranmaru's sprained wrist and Nobunaga's ripped shoulder.

Masamune began drumming his fingers against the wooden floor. Yukimura sat in silence, listening as several generals whispered amongst themselves, many of their questions similar to the ones Yukimura wished to ask himself.

_'They? A new army? But we would have also heard of them, right? What did Mitsuhide-dono mean when he said they?'_ the return of footsteps pulled Yukimura out of his thoughts. Mitsuhide had returned with Oichi in tow, and she quickly rushed to her brother's side, kneeling down beside him. Her hair hid her face and her grip on her weapon was so tight her knuckles were white.

Yukimura furrowed his brows at her, _'Oichi-dono looks very upset... eh?'_

Kojyuro's hand had appeared in Yukimura's line of sight. Yukimura watched in surprise as Kojyuro forcefully made Ichi let go of her weapon, quietly informing her that she was going to bruise her knuckles if she continued to grip it so tightly. She apologized to him and set her weapon down, folding her hands in her lap.

_'I didn't realize that Oichi-hime was sitting so close to Katakura-dono.'_

Mitsuhide started pacing. This got the generals' attention. The group stared at the ivory haired man expectantly.

_'Mitsuhide-dono has never looked so... fearful, before. Whoever the 'they' are that he mentioned must be terrifying to scare Mitsuhide-dono!' _Yukimura decided, eagerly awaiting the report.

"They... they are gigantic monsters is what they are. Huge black creatures. We encountered five of them and nothing worked. Nothing at all. No weapons, nothing. Every time I struck one it was like I was trying to destroy a steel statue. They are covered in an impenetrable armor," Mitsuhide stopped pacing and focused his wild gaze on Shingen.

"They have no weakness that we know of. One of them single-handedly took out half our forces. It had swords of all shapes and sizes protruding from its body, and after it charged the blades retracted back inside its skin. The creature's roar was enough to terrorize the soldiers; they were all shaking in their armor."

"Oi, oi, oi! Creatures with impenetrable armor? Tell us about the other ones!" Motochika interrupted, his expression one of eagerness. Yukimura was afraid of what other descriptions might come.

Mitsuhide dropped to his knees on the floor, eyes closed in thought.

"The one that injured Nobunaga-kou had a whip-like tail. It was very long. There was another one that did nothing but shriek. It seemed like a scout to me, with the way it constantly screamed. It was quick footed as well. As for the last two, one kept on disappearing and appearing at random. It had... stars in its body? It was a strange one... stranger yet was the final one. Its tail was shaped like a shield. It scooped soldiers up and threw them. No way they survived the fall."

Mitsuhide collapsed onto the floor then, mumbling. Alarmed, Yukimura quickly crawled over to him.

"Mitsuhide-dono?"

"So tired... hope you don't mind... I'll just sleep here... can't be too far behind... find us... today at... the earliest..." and he continued to mumble incoherently. Yukimura looked back at Shingen, whose eyes were closed in thought.

"This is alarming news. Creatures with impenetrable armor," he opened his eyes and looked at Kenshin, "what do you make of this?"

"First off, how did they get here? And when did they get here?" the icy lord questioned, looking at the other lords in the room. Nobunaga sputtered then and all eyes trained on him.

"Shortly after... Matsunaga Hisahide was killed in that explosion. These creatures were spotted on Owari's border. After they themselves saw Honnoji they laid waste to it. We were lucky to escape... thanks to my sister," he glanced at her, not in a kind way. Yukimura furrowed his brows at this.

"Ichi... Ichi remembers fainting and then... when Ichi woke up Mitsuhide-sama was... carrying Ichi..." she added softly, clenching her hands. Kojyuro's eyes flicked down to her hands. For a moment Yukimura thought he was going to make her unfold her hands, but Kojyuro looked up at him instead. Yukimura blinked, and focused on Mitsuhide.

"Oyakata-sama, should I move him?" he asked, reaching for Mitsuhide while looking at his lord. Shingen shook his head.

"No, Yukimura, leave him where he is."

"This is bad news," Kenshin said as Yukimura returned to Shingen's side, "if these creatures aren't hurt by weapons, what can we do to defend ourselves from them?"

"The most efficient survival tactic is fleeing. The creatures gave chase to us and left everything else alone. I also noticed that they will not hurt civilians," Nou Hime finally spoke, both of her hands grasping one of Nobunaga's.

"Not hurt civilians?" Motonari piped in, "we could use that to our advantage then, couldn't we?"

Motochika stood up abruptly, glaring at Motonari and startling Tsuruhime; she was pulled back slightly by Kotaro.

"Don't even think about it Mori! We are _not_ going to under any damn circumstance pull innocent people into this!"

Motonari stood as well so he could be level with his rival, "when it comes to the value of an army, the general is the most important. If these creatures won't _hurt_ civilians, then if we use them as shields they won't attack us, correct?"

"Why you-!"

The two continued to bicker. Tsuruhime tugged at a sleeve of Motochika's jacket.

"M-Motochika-nii..." he ignored her and continued his argument with Motonari. Yukimura would have intervened himself if he hadn't noticed Keiji stand, his eyes flicking worriedly between the two. When it looked like they were going to start a fist fight Keiji stepped in between them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"All right guys, that's enough!" he turned his head to Mouri, "and Mouri-nii-san, that's an idea, but hopefully we can use it as a last resort...?"

Motonari "humphed" and sat back down, while Motochika stalked to the opposite side of the room. Each of the generals had fallen into silence, each brooding over the situation.

"Oyakata-sama..."

"Hm?"

"What do you make of these... creatures?" Yukimura asked. Shingen looked thoughtful.

"They are strange, no doubt. I'm most worried about how they got here... and after Matsunaga Hisahide's death... this seems very odd to me. Perhaps they were already here before he was killed?"

There was a silence until Kojyuro spoke up, "to be certain, maybe we should visit Matsunaga's home."

"Katakura-dono...?" Yukimura looked at him. His expression was tight and worried.

"This will sound far-fetched, but it could be a possibility that Matsunaga is still alive."

Sasuke jumped up, "these creatures couldn't be his doing!"

Kojyuro breathed deeply, "I'm not saying that. But if they arrived here after Matsunaga's death, then maybe they were searching for something. And if it's to Owari that they went... they had to be in an area nearby to get there. Matsunaga was closest to Owari."

"... Katakura has a point," Hideyoshi agreed, standing, "we should head to where Matsunaga had been. There might be some clues."

Shingen and Kenshin looked at each other, then nodded their heads. Nobunaga straightened despite the doctor's timid request that he stay still.

"We should leave here as soon as possible, Kai no Tora. Those creatures are relentless in their pursuit. And the scout's scream is very loud. No matter how far from each other they are, the creatures will surely hear it."

Everyone began chatting and getting ready to move out; Masamune and Kojyuro headed for the door, Itsuki trailing after them.

"I'm not gonna' sit around and wait to see if those things show up. Kojyuro and I will head out first. See you there," he raised his hand in a waving gesture and departed from the room, Kojyuro glancing over his shoulder at Oichi before following his lord faithfully. Yukimura bit his lip.

Oichi stood then, shakily, and picked up her weapon.

"Ichi will go as well," she stated quietly as she swiftly left the room. Shingen watched her go. Yukimura looked at him, awaiting orders.

_'I guess we're splitting up,'_Yukimura realized as not many others went after Masamune.

"Yukimura, take Sasuke and go with them," Yukimura nodded and soon found Ieyasu at his elbow.

"I'll go as well. Motochika, perhaps you should come too."

"Why?" the pirate general demanded, turning to face Ieyasu. Ieyasu sighed softly. Yukimura had noticed that he and Motochika hadn't been on the best of terms when they got to Kai.

"Because we should split ourselves up, between rivals I mean," Ieyasu glanced at Yukimura before adding, "some of us are lucky they get along well with their rivals already."

"... you have a good point there. All right, I'll leave with you guys," with this information Sasuke quickly left the room, calling after Masamune.

"Well, let's go. The Dokuganryuu won't wait for us," Ieyasu said, nodding to Yukimura. Yukimura nodded and led the way to the stables. Once there he and Ieyasu picked a horse for Motochika to ride and after retrieving theirs they hurried to the gate. Sasuke was prancing around the entrance.

"Ah, danna! The Dokuganryuu and Katakura-no-danna aren't too far ahead but... they're ahead. With Oichi-hime and Itsuki-san."

"Ho, Sasuke, lead the way!"

Sasuke nodded and darted off, the three men following on their horses. It wasn't long before Yukimura could see Masamune's blue overcoat, though it was half obscured by Itsuki, who rode behind him. Yukimura was surprised to see Oichi riding side-saddle behind Kojyuro.

"Masamune-dono!" he called after he got over his shock of seeing Oichi behind Kojyuro. Masamune glanced over his shoulder and smirked.

"Yo, Sanada Yukimura! Glad you managed to catch up!" he turned his head back to the front, then looked back again.

"Why are you two coming, huh?" he asked the other generals.

"Well, to keep us away from our rivals, mostly," Ieyasu informed him.

"You and Sanada are lucky you both get along when you need to. As for some of us... that won't ever be happening," Motochika added with a chuckle. Masamune laughed and looked ahead again. Sasuke drew back to Yukimura's side, his eyes trained on the woods around them. Yukimura stared at him in worry.

_'I should keep Sasuke near and not let him scout...'_

"Sasuke."

"Yes, danna?"

"I don't know if it would be wise for you to scout so... don't scout, all right?" Yukimura ordered him. Sasuke gave Yukimura a strange look, like he was offended that his master was questioning his abilities. Yukimura gave him a pleading expression.

"If you say so, danna. I'll stay by your side."

Yukimura felt a wave of relief pass over him and as they rode to Matsunaga's land his mind wandered.

_'I wonder when we'll see Oyakata-sama and the others... perhaps splitting up wasn't the best choice we could make but... it's better then Masamune-dono and Katakura-dono coming out here alone,'_ his brows furrowed, _'what will we do if we encounter these creatures? Our weapons won't wound them in the slightest...'_

He glanced at Motochika, who also appeared to be lost in thought. Ieyasu was very quiet on his horse, his eyes downcast. The lord of Mikawa had changed a lot; he wasn't young looking anymore, with his brown hair swept back away from his face and spiked up.

Sasuke jerked his head up when they were half way to their destination, trees flying by in a blur. Yukimura looked at him; the group was now closer together, Kojyuro and Masamune still at the front. Ieyasu was further to the right of Masamune but still behind him and closer to Yukimura's horse; Motochika was about at the same place as Ieyasu but on the left.

"What is it, Sasuke?" Yukimura finally gave the shinobi his attention.

"Kotaro. He's caught up with us," Sasuke said. He glanced at Yukimura before leaping into the trees. Moments later he returned with Kotaro by his side.

"Everyone else isn't too far behind. No sign of the creatures yet, but Oda-no-danna wants everyone to be on their guard, just in case," Sasuke looked at Kotaro for a moment. The black and white shinobi appeared to be telling him something. Sasuke focused on Yukimura again.

"Apparently the scout is rather quiet despite its size. About... as big as a wagon, Kotaro says," he spoke loud enough for the other lords to hear him.

"Big as a wagon? Hah! That's not too big," Masamune looked over his shoulder, "what about the others? Which one's the biggest?"

Again Sasuke stared at Kotaro before replying, "the one with the long tail is the biggest, about the size of a house. Then the one with all the blades; the two are close in size. As for the last three... well, the scout is as big as a wagon, the starry one is slightly larger and the one with the shield for its tail," Sasuke paused, "its tail is bigger then it is, Kotaro says."

Masamune scowled, "so we better watch out for the one with the blades and the long tail then. Shit."

Yukimura nodded his head and Kotaro disappeared into the woods, going backwards.

_'Must be returning to Oyakata-sama...'_ he focused on the road ahead of them. The sky was lighter near the horizon; the sun would be rising soon.

As time dragged on Yukimura noticed that Oichi was constantly glancing at Masamune, a curious look on her face. Yukimura pursed his lips, _'I wonder if she wants to speak with Masamune-dono.'_

He was sure Masamune was aware of that Oichi was looking at him, but so far his rival hadn't said or done anything to acknowledge her. Kojyuro got her attention and they dropped into an idle conversation, Oichi stuttering frequently.

Yukimura was too far away to hear what they were talking about, but something Oichi said made Motochika chuckle and Kojyuro smile. The woman looked away from Kojyuro, up at the sky. Yukimura guessed this was because she was embarrassed.

"Neh, Sanada-kun."

"Eh? Hai?" he was surprised that Itsuki was talking to him. He blinked at her, _'when had she turned around?'_

"Oi, Itsuki, you better not fall off."

"I won't fall off! Gees, ya don't hafta treat me like a little kid all the time..." she complained, elbowing Masamune. He snorted.

"You _are_ a little kid, Itsuki."

She wrinkled her nose, a light blush on her cheeks, then looked at Yukimura again.

"Anyway, did ya see Tsuruhime?"

"Tsuruhime... ah, yes, I did," he tilted his head at her, "why?"

"I think she likes you."

Yukimura's eyes bugged out of his head, "_eeeh?_ Ah – n-no she couldn't _like_ me, I mean, maybe she likes me but she doesn't _like_ me -"

"Danna, what are you getting so nervous about?" Sasuke questioned. Yukimura looked down at the shinobi. Sasuke was trying not to smile. Itsuki was grinning giddily.

"Could it be tha' _you_ like her, Sanada-kun?" she inquired in an eager voice. Her question made Yukimura flush.

"Itsuki-dono! I hardly know her!"

"But still!"

"Oi, oi, oi! Leave the poor kid alone, Itsuki!" Masamune exclaimed, but the way he was smiling let Yukimura know that his rival was getting a kick out of him being teased. Yukimura scowled at him.

"You are a terrible liar, Masamune-dono."

"Ah, I was caught. Damn. Tease him all you want, Itsuki," his shoulders bounced up and down with quiet laughter. Kojyuro rolled his eyes.

"Masamune-sama..."

"What?" the tone of his voice was innocent. Yukimura fumed inwardly.

"I think ya like 'er," Itsuki stated. Yukimura sputtered and glared at her.

"I do _not!_ I haven't even been formally introduced to her and – w-why do you care!" Yukimura demanded, face warm. The whole group laughed, Motochika nearly falling off his horse. Even Oichi was smiling as she looked back at Yukimura, her head resting against Kojyuro's back.

"It's not funny!" Yukimura complained, pouting. Sasuke patted his leg with a hand.

"Don't worry about it, danna. Itsuki is a girl. She's interested in things like relationships," Sasuke glanced at her, as if he was making sure she wasn't listening before he added, "and perhaps there's someone _she_ likes."

Yukimura gave Sasuke a questioning look. Sasuke looked pointedly at Masamune. Yukimura couldn't help releasing a short laugh, which got Itsuki's attention.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Itsuki-dono," Yukimura assured her, resisting the sudden urge he had to tease her, "nothing."

She frowned at him before elbowing Masamune.

"I'm turning back around!"

"You little – make up your mind!" he complained. She stuck her tongue out at him – which Masamune obviously didn't see – and stood. She turned around and carefully lowered herself back onto the saddle, then wrapped her arms tightly around Masamune's waist.

"Oi, Itsuki... don't fall asleep, okay?"

The girl nodded her head. Though Yukimura was focused on what Itsuki was doing the look Oichi was now giving Itsuki didn't escape Yukimura's eyes. It was easy for him to see her expression because her cheek was against Kojyuro's back. Her eyebrows were drawn back and her lips were pursed.

_'I wonder what that means... Oichi-dono seems a bit... jealous of how Itsuki-dono shows her affection so freely,'_ slight movement in the woods caught Yukimura's attention, and for a brief moment he thought he saw very bright eyes.

When he blinked whatever he had thought had been there was gone. He frowned. There was no time for him to ask questions - they had reached their destination. The horses were slowed and they stopped just outside the outer wall.

The eight dismounted, Kojyuro helping Oichi down and Sasuke helping Itsuki. Ieyasu and Motochika approached the door together, talking in low voices. Yukimura trotted up beside Ieyasu and their conversation came to a halt. Yukimura quickly moved ahead of them, causing Motochika to chuckle softly. Once at the door, Yukimura turned slightly, waiting for the others to catch up to him. Once everyone was closer Yukimura tilted his head.

"Go ahead and push them open, Sanada Yukimura," Masamune instructed, resting a hand on one of his katanas, "we're ready for whatever might be behind those doors."

The others nodded their heads and Yukimura took a deep breath before throwing the doors open. Sasuke dropped down in front of him, his windmill shiruiken drawn. The shinobi glanced around, sniffing the air. After one tense minute, Sasuke withdrew and clipped his weapons to his thighs.

"Nothing in sight. Looks like those creatures haven't been here yet," the group released a collective sigh. Ieyasu stepped up next to Yukimura, looking at the horses behind them.

"What do we do about them?" he asked, pulling his left glove on tighter.

"We leave them. It would be too strenuous for the horses to go up those stairs," Kojyuro informed them, gesturing to the steep staircase ahead of them. Yukimura glared at it; he didn't look forward to going up that staircase again. Masamune squatted down on the ground.

"Better come up with some kind of plan. What do we do if we run into those creatures?" everyone sat down around him in a circle.

"Well, maybe we should have some kind of formation," Ieyasu started. Motochika nodded his head.

"Put me at the front. I've got the biggest weapon of all of us here," he offered. Itsuki looked him up and down, then glanced at Masamune.

"Ya look like the strongest one too."

"Yeah, I'll be the flesh shield," Motochika grinned widely at her, "don't need to worry about the Dokuganryuu getting hurt."

"H-hey!" she exclaimed, blushing. Masamune patted her on the head.

"It's okay. Your concern makes me feel warm inside," he teased, tugging on one of her pony-tails. Kojyuro gave Masamune an unimpressed look.

"Masamune-sama."

"Okay, okay, I'll be serious. So Chousukabe will be at the head, the rest of us in the middle and you girls at the back. Don't hit me, Itsuki! I'm not doubting your ability, honest," he grabbed her wrists to stave off her attacks, "it's just -"

"You need to keep Ichi from fainting at all costs," the woman said softly. Everyone looked at her and she continued, "if Ichi faints Ichi doesn't know what Ichi will do. Ichi might kill you if you are too close."

"... all right," Masamune stood but Sasuke appeared at his side.

"What is it, shinobi?"

"What should we do if we can't go with that formation?"

"Simple: we scatter," Motochika answered, shouldering his anchor. He had stood as well, "if we can't get into that formation we'll just have to do our best to stay alive. Date, Ieyasu and I should be the ones trying to damage these creatures at the least. Don't argue, Katakura, Oichi-hime needs a big strong man to look after her."

Motochika quickly scampered off upon seeing Kojyuro's scowl. He grinned boyishly at the group.

_'Despite the fact that we're trying to be serious,'_Yukimura hurried off with the rest of the group when Motochika gestured to them, _'it's difficult with Chousukabe-dono and Masamune-dono around,'_Yukimura couldn't help smiling at the fact that Motochika was trying to stay away from Kojyuro. Oichi stuck close to the Right Eye of the Dragon, to his left while Masamune overtook Motochika. Yukimura was tempted to try and over take him, but the pirate and the dragon already seemed to be having some kind of race.

Sasuke easily overtook the two racing generals' however.

"I'll go take a quick look around first!" he called back, sprinting easily to the top. Yukimura only managed to nod his head.

Nothing had changed about the landing when the group reached it – at least, nothing had changed since Yukimura had been there a month ago. Everyone had to stop to catch their breath, Motochika and Masamune chuckling at each other. The pirate general patted Masamune on the back then proceeded to look around. Ieyasu was near one of the fallen pillars, pieces of rock all over the place from the statue that Hisahide had blown himself up with.

_'Oh! What about Masamune-dono's - oh. How foolish of me to think he hadn't recovered from it,' _Yukimura furrowed his brow when he found that Sasuke was no where to be seen.

"Danna!" the call came from the right and Yukimura looked. Kojyuro was by Ieyasu's side - Motochika, Masamune and Oichi also with him - he explained about Hisahide's obsession with explosives. Most of the destruction had been caused by said explosives.

"What is it, Sasuke?" Yukimura asked, seeing the shinobi wave frantically from the trees.

"I found a staircase over here! I believe Matsunaga-no-danna used this staircase to get between his home and this area."

"A hidden staircase, eh? Let's check it out," Masamune suggested while swiftly making his way to Sasuke's position. The rest of the group followed. Sasuke led them to the next landing and once they were at the top they stopped dead in their tracks.

_'This... the creatures must have been here! Unless canons were used damage this great couldn't have been caused by soldiers!'_ Yukimura exclaimed inwardly, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Silence had come over the group as they stood at the entrance to the hidden path way, their eyes surveying the destruction.

The nearby house had been leveled, cement statues were shattered and the normally organized white sand had been scattered all over the area. There were even specks of sand floating in the air. Kojyuro was the first one to proceed towards the wasted house. Masamune headed off in a different direction with Itsuki trailing after him. Ieyasu and Motochika both approached the area where the sand had originally been before being scattered everywhere.

Yukimura looked over his shoulder to see Oichi gripping her weapon tightly, her head bowed. Yukimura furrowed his brows at her.

"Oichi-hime?"

"Ichi knows this damage. They were here, Yukimura-sama, the creatures were here."

Yukimura was taken aback by the honorific. No one had ever referred to him as "sama" before. He walked over to the woman and grabbed her bicep in a gentle grasp. She looked up at him.

"Ah, maybe you and I should go help Katakura-dono, Oichi-hime."

"H-hai," her lips twitched up in the smallest of smiles. Yukimura gave her a wide grin, and tugged her off toward the house.

Sasuke was also investigating the remains, his head constantly lifting as he scouted the trees for movement.

"Katakura-dono!" Yukimura called. The Right Eye of the Dragon was very stiff. Yukimura approached him cautiously.

"Katakura-dono?" he asked as a breeze swept over the area. It brought with it an unpleasant smell, one so unpleasant it made Yukimura gag. Beside him Oichi covered her mouth, swallowing several times.

"W-what's that smell?" she asked timidly. Kojyuro turned his head, his expression grim.

"There's a body here... in armor I've never seen before."

Yukimura held his breath as he turned to Sasuke, gesturing at him to get the others.

_'What a horrendous smell! Must have been here the whole month... just rotting away,'_ Yukimura walked up to Kojyuro's side and looked at the body as well. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

"What kind of armor is that? The designs are so intricate..." Yukimura crouched, muttering an apology to the deceased soldier as he traced his fingers over one of the designs. They were swirling all over the metal. Curious, Yukimura tapped the other parts of the armor while someone came up behind him.

"Oi, Kojyuro! What did you find?"

"A body, Masamune-sama."

"A body? Oh hell! That stinks..." Masamune complained as he got closer.

"It really is a horrid smell. Worse 'en back when the Demon King destroyed mah village," Itsuki added. Motochika and Ieyasu stood at the head of the body, staring down at the masked face. Masamune prodded the metal boots with one of his feet. He tilted his head in confusion and Yukimura stood.

_'It's all metal... all this armor is completely metal... like Oda-dono's armor but sturdier and more like... like... like plate metal.'_

"It's plate metal," Yukimura said out loud. Everyone looked at him in surprise, "all of it is plate metal."

"Even this mask?" Ieyasu asked, crouching down himself to tap his armored fist against it. The mask made a hollow clanging sound. Masamune whistled.

"Wow, it _is_ plate. So this is more like a helmet then a mask."

"Mm... but is there only one?" Kojyuro wondered, looking around. No one spoke but broke into groups of two to see if there were other bodies. Yukimura continued to observe the one Kojyuro had found, Oichi and Kojyuro staying with him.

"It looks like something is missing, Oichi-hime. Like how you have... um..." Yukimura was afraid to mention the clan, "like how you have the Azai clan's crest here," he gently tapped the crest and watched as Ichi nodded her head. He crouched down again and tapped the same area on the body, wrinkling his nose. In all his years of battle he had never come across a smell as putrid as this.

"... Yukimura-sama is right. It looks like something was taken from this man," she peered more closely, finally setting her weapon down. Yukimura watched her worriedly; her face was very pale.

"Oichi-hime, you – you won't faint, will you?" she shook her head in response to his question, her gaze still focused on the spot where the missing piece should be.

"Was it a crest like Ichi's?"

"Maybe," Motochika's voice cut in. Yukimura looked over his shoulder and up at the taller man, then jumped to his feet. Motochika was carrying another body, his purple jacket over the chest.

"Chousukabe-dono -"

"This one. This one's a girl," Motochika muttered quietly, setting the body down next to the other, "the... chest plate was ripped off..."

"Oh..." Yukimura whispered, looking up at the sky. The sun was taking it's time to rise.

"Here's another," Masamune announced. He was half dragging the body - the body looked to be heavier then the other two - Itsuki choosing to stay quite some distance away. She was eying the body with a disturbed expression.

Masamune placed the third body next to the only female one. Yukimura stared.

"So we've got one with pretty much undamaged armor, one with the chest plate ripped off, and one without the helmet," Masamune took his own helmet off, holding it under his arm. His brows were furrowed.

"But I don't get it. What's with this guy's peaceful expression? And damn," he covered his nose, "we just had to bring them all together didn't we?"

Motochika laughed lightly, though his lone gray-blue eye was focused on the girl. He crouched down, "you'd think that without his helmet on, this guy's face would have blisters and the like all over it."

Glances were exchanged; Yukimura mulled over this information.

_'It's true. His skin was exposed to the sun so his skin should be burnt and blistered,'_ Yukimura looked at Ieyasu.

"Ieyasu-dono, what about... her?"

Ieyasu ducked his head, "she... her skin wasn't burnt or blistered either, but she was under debris. Motochika and I sniffed her out. Then again, despite being buried under rubble, she doesn't have any bruises or cuts over her body. Just dust."

Motochika dumbly nodded his head, still staring at the girl. All three were wearing the same design of armor. Yukimura tilted his head, trying to see them from a different angle. The armor was plate, like Nobunaga's but it appeared to be more flexible and lighter. Like the armor Sasuke and Kotaro wore.

"Wait a moment..." Yukimura muttered, taking five steps back and tilting his head again. The others present gave him various looks.

_'There is something... something strange about this armor. If it's plate it should be bigger and bulkier. It's almost like this armor was built to be more light-weight,'_Yukimura's eyes widened and he quickly called for Sasuke. The shinobi appeared at his side.

"Yes, danna?"

"Does this armor look light-weight to you?" Yukimura asked. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, then his brows furrowed. He closed his mouth and hopped over to the three bodies, prodding at the armor and looking at the helmet-less man's face. He slid his hand under the dead man's back and lifted. He hesitated before setting the man back down and returning to Yukimura's side.

"It _is_ light-weight, danna. Meant for people who are quick on their feet. Also, while you were all looking at their bodies I was looking for weapons. I found a short-sword," he handed the weapon to Yukimura from under his poncho, "it's similar in design to Kotaro's."

Yukimura turned the weapon over in his hands, then looked up at Masamune. His rival had a most interesting expression on his face, one that crossed between him being angry and curious at the same time.

"So you're suggesting that these three are assassins or shinobi?"

"Yes, but they weren't killed by Matsunaga-no-danna. He would have blown them up if he'd been the one to kill them."

Kojyuro rested a hand on Masamune's shoulder, "true, if Matsunaga had killed them, they would be in pieces. Oichi-san, do you think they were killed by those creatures?"

Oichi shook her head lightly, "Ichi isn't sure but, because of the destruction here, Ichi knows that those creatures were definitely here before us. The three don't look to be physically injured by those creatures because anyone who was..." she swallowed, "anyone who was, was disfigured beyond recognition..."

The group cringed at the thought. Masamune put his helmet back on.

"Well, whatever happened, this guy's smiling about it," he nodded to the third body. Yukimura stepped back more. The air was very still and he shuddered.

_'Something's not right...'_ he felt a warm breeze against his back. He straightened abruptly, his movement catching Sasuke's eye.

Then the shinobi had his weapons drawn, his eyes focused on something behind Yukimura. Alarmed, the rest of the group looked at Yukimura and then they too had their hands on their weapons, Ichi's eyes wide with fright. Yukimura swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest as another warm breath was released over his back.

"There's one behind me, isn't there?" he stated softly. The group vigorously nodded their heads, Motochika gesturing to Yukimura as he slammed his anchor into the ground.

"I think you should come back over here, Sanada Yukimura."

Yukimura slowly turned around, coming face to face with the monstrous creature. It had a large tail swaying from side-to-side behind it, a spiked mace ball at the tip. It released a low growl as Yukimura began to back up with Sasuke, reaching back for his spears while Mitsuhide's warning about physical weapons having no effect on the creature echoed in his head.

The creature tilted its head, pushing itself up more fully onto its powerful forelegs. Its jaws opened, revealing a deadly set of sharp teeth. It roared, sword blades of all kinds bursting out of its skin and gleaming in the light of the dawn.

Yukimura had never been more terrified in his life.

"_Shit!_ It's the one with all the blades! Duck, Sanada Yukimura, _duck_!"

Yukimura glanced at Sasuke, who glanced at him. They both threw themselves to the ground as the creature charged; the blades passed harmlessly over them. Sasuke was quickly on his feet, his facial features tense.

"It has to have some kind of weakness!" he called out. Yukimura jumped up, watching as the beast chased after Motochika. Despite its large size the creature was very fast. Itsuki yelped – she was under Ieyasu's arm – when Motochika was nearly cleaved in two. He was lucky enough to trip over a tree root.

"Forget the formation! Get this thing away from me!" Motochika yelled. Ieyasu sent Itsuki over to Yukimura and then ran to help Motochika. The beast was trying to smash him with its tail. Ieyasu slammed his fist into the mace, making the creature snarl and stagger.

_'... Oichi-hime!'_ Yukimura frantically searched for her with his eyes. He relaxed only when he saw her with Kojyuro. She looked so horrified, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Masamune gave Kojyuro an order and then the man was gripping Oichi by her bicep, dragging her towards Yukimura while Masamune raced to help the other two generals get away from the creature.

Kojyuro stopped by Yukimura's side.

"We have to keep Oichi-san from fainting at all costs," he glanced at the beast, his worry for Masamune evident in his eyes, "but how do we fight a creature that is resistant to physical attacks?"

"I have no idea," Sasuke muttered. He looked up at Yukimura, "danna, I'm going to see if I can find a weakness on it. Don't give me that face, danna! You're making me feel bad..."

Yukimura clenched his jaw and nodded his head. Sasuke joined the other three.

"Katakura-dono..."

"Yes?"

"Um..." Yukimura stared at the older man for a moment, "if that one is here... what about the other four?"

Kojyuro turned around sharply in response, green eyes scanning the foliage. Itsuki huddled closer to him, gripping her mallet's handle tightly in one hand. Ichi stayed facing the current battle, her back against Kojyuro's.

"That's a good question, Sanada."

"Un," Yukimura clenched his spears tightly. He wanted to assist the other four, but they were doing fine by themselves. The creature clearly didn't appreciate them keeping their distance and hiding behind trees and debris. Ieyasu took a chance and slammed a lightning fused fist into the ground, making the creature shriek. Sasuke leapt onto its back – it had retracted its blades – and was stabbing at its spine, trying to find a weakness.

The creature roared furiously and lowered its head, its large tail whipping into the air, triggering the blades to burst out of its back. Three speared through Sasuke, a fourth one slicing off his leg.

"S – _SASUKE!_" Yukimura cried, breaking into a run. Two arms flew around his waist, a delicate body throwing him off-balance and into the ground.

"Yukimura-sama, no! Don't go! Ichi doesn't think this is a wise choice! B-besides, Sasuke-sama is a shinobi, right?"

Yukimura stared at Oichi, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes, dropping his head back against the ground.

_'Of course. Sasuke isn't stupid. I've surely offended him.'_

He opened his eyes and gave Oichi a small smile – he couldn't keep a faint blush from flitting over his cheeks. He wasn't used to having a woman hold him to the ground.

"Thank you, Oichi-hime, for stopping me. But..." he glanced at the battle still going on to the side; Motochika, Masamune and Ieyasu looked tired out already, "I don't think it's good to hold me down any longer."

"... _ah!_ Ah, Ichi is sorry," she said, getting up. Yukimura pushed himself up, resting his hand on Oichi's shoulder. If not for her, he would have gotten himself – or someone else – killed.

The ground began shaking, a panting sound coming along with it.

"Sanada! Look out!" Ieyasu yelled frantically. Yukimura looked up to see the beast charging straight towards him, snarling.

"Danna!"

Yukimura quickly pushed Ichi to the side. He didn't raise his spears – what good would they do, if the creature had impenetrable armor? Ichi grabbed his arm, trying to pull him out of the way with her.

"Y-Yukimura-sam-AH!" she yelped suddenly. Someone grabbed Yukimura's shoulder in a tight grip after Oichi's yelp of surprise. Yukimura was jerked back as a multitude of purple slashes volleyed the creature from the left. It screamed in pain, lashing out with its tail at anyone behind it. Ieyasu was hit by the middle of the tail and went careening into the ground. Yukimura blinked rapidly at the scene before him.

Keiji was dragging Masamune away from the creature, his great sword unsheathed. Looking to the right of the beast Yukimura saw that Motochika was helping Ieyasu to his feet while Shingen parried the tail with his axe. Lastly, in front of Yukimura stood Mitsunari, his back to the beast as it retreated away from the group.

"Ah! You – you're all here!" Yukimura exclaimed, looking over his shoulder. Kojyuro had Ichi by his side and immediately behind Yukimura was Hideyoshi.

"Sanada-san, are you all right?" Mitsunari asked, standing. Yukimura looked up at him.

"I am. Thank you, Mitsunari-dono."

"Anything for my allies," Mitsunari replied. He turned around to observe the creature, "it appears as though I've actually wounded it."

"It does seem that way," Hideyoshi agreed, "on your feet, Sanada Yukimura."

"H-hai!"

"We hurried the horses into a gallop when we heard the roar," Matsu piped in. Yukimura looked around at the group. Aside from Nobunaga's shoulder injury, no one was hurt.

"Ah, Ieyasu-dono...?" he glanced at the lord of Mikawa. He nodded his head.

"I'm fine, Sanada, just a bit winded. You? And Oichi-san?"

"We're okay."

"That's good," Ieyasu said in relief, then nodded to Motochika and moved away. The pirate general stared after Ieyasu before shouldering his anchor.

"What do you make of that? I mean, the fact that Mitsunari's dark blades hurt it?" Motochika mumbled.

Shingen looked thoughtful, "I wouldn't say it got injured."

"It looks more startled then injured," Hideyoshi agreed. The creature hissed and growled at them as the group gathered together, several facing away from the creature to be sure that the others wouldn't take them by surprise. Hanbei sighed.

"Maybe it would be better if we made a run for it," he suggested. The words "run for it" made the creature perk up. It tilted its head at them, curious. It's jaw opened.

"Why would you run?" the voice that came out of its mouth was raspy and inhuman.

"_Holy shit!_" Masamune exclaimed. The whole group tensed, Yukimura staring wide-eyed at the creature.

_'It... it can talk?' _Yukimura swallowed, _'since when could...'_

"When could you talk?" Nobunaga demanded. The creature snarled and shook its head at him.

"I remember you."

The ground shook as it bounded at the group, the blades popping out of its body once again. The group scattered. Kotaro, Sasuke and Kasuga teamed up to try and trip the creature. Kasuga's roped kunai made quick work of bringing it down as she tossed the weapons at different points around it, its feet getting tangled in the light purple threads. It screamed angrily as it went down, its tail whipping around to the front of its head and all the way around its body to the other side of its head. The group had to continuously jump clear of its sweeping tail.

"Toyotomi, grab its tail!" the instruction came from the right; Yukimura couldn't see who. He had gone to the left with Shingen. Despite narrowing his eyes at the order, Hideyoshi grabbed the creature's tail. When it realized it couldn't move, it began to shriek pitifully.

"Don't get comfortable," Nobunaga warned. His voice was hard to hear over the creature's shrieking.

"Probably calling its friends, damn it," Masamune panted, glaring at the beast. Yukimura glanced at him. He then sought out Ieyasu and Motochika. All three of them looked tired from trying to hold it off on their own previously.

"Sasuke! Try to find its weakness now!" Yukimura yelled. The shinobi looked at him then nodded his head vigorously. The creature continued to moan.

"Can you hold it, Kasuga?" he asked the female. She scowled at him.

"Who do you think I am, Sarutobi Sasuke?" she demanded. He grinned cheekily at her before leaping onto the creature's back again, wary of the blades that still protruded from its body.

"Just making sure, Kasuga," he assured her, spinning his windmill shiruiken. He tilted his head, and proceeded to throw his weapon at the back of the creature's neck. It snapped it's head back, the shiruiken bouncing off its forehead. Kasuga experimentally stabbed at its exposed throat with a kunai, the weapon having no effect. The group slowly began to tense, Yukimura staring at Sasuke who stared at the creature. He yanked his shiruiken back.

"... back of its neck," Yukimura heard Sasuke say faintly. The creature's moaning had subsided and it was now growling lowly. Sasuke straightened, his expression going wild.

"Its weakness is the back of its neck! That's where it has no armor, because it had no reason to tip its head back like that if - _woah!_" Sasuke didn't manage to finish his synopsis because the creature bucked, snapping Kasuga's threads and dragging Kasuga under its body. Shingen surged forward first, wedging his axe under the creature before it could crush Kasuga with its body weight.

"Ah - ah - Kotaro! Grab Kasuga!" Sasuke ordered uncertainly. Now that it was unbound the creature raced backwards, keeping its head pressed securely to the top of its spine, effectively protecting its neck. Hanbei pulled out his sword, narrowing his eyes at the creature.

"Perhaps my whip would be more effective in holding it... but now that we know its weakness, I doubt that I will be given the benefit of holding it for a long time. Our best chance is to tie up its legs and tail and forcefully pull its head down so we can slice its neck open. Hopefully that will kill it," and with that Hanbei rushed forward, followed closely by Mitsunari. Shingen and Hideyoshi made their way towards its tail now that Kasuga was safely out from under the creature, Sasuke and Kotaro by her side. Kenshin stayed near her but had his hand on the hilt of his sword, just in case.

Hanbei lashed out with his sword - Yukimura stared in surprise as it separated and extended into a whip - and maneuvered the whip around the creature's legs. It managed to step over the whip with its forelegs but was unprepared for Mitsunari's attack on its left foreleg, while Motochika joined the attacking group and wrapped the chained part of his anchor around its right foreleg. He jerked the leg out from underneath the creature and it howled loudly as it collapsed forward.

The three shinobi burst forward then, Kasuga and Sasuke using their weapons to tie up its mouth. Keiji grasped either side of the creature's head and starting pulling with all his might - Shingen and Hideyoshi were stuck holding down the creature's tail, which it was desperately trying to free. Kotaro dashed around the creature's head, waiting for Keiji to pull the head down.

"Guess you can't do that alone, hm, Maeda Keiji?" Mitsuhide chimed in before he dropped his scythes and flounced over to help. Yukimura was about to go help as well when a deafening scream tore across the sky. It jarred Yukimura's vision and he collapsed to his knees. He couldn't see straight - in fact, he saw several Keiji's and Mitsuhide's.

_'What - what's happening? M-my vision I... I can't see straight and my head,_' Yukimura pressed a hand to his throbbing head. He attempted to look around but that only served to make him feel dizzier. The only thing he could make out was that the people closest to the creature were beginning to struggle with it. They all looked like they were swaying.

As Yukimura's vision began to clear and his headache began to fade there was another scream. It was closer then before and Yukimura collapsed to all fours, several people around Yukimura collapsing along with him. He shook his lightly from side-to-side, trying to ignore the pain.

_'Oichi-hime... Oichi-hime, I hope she's okay. I hope she hasn't fainted,'_Yukimura raised his head in time to see that Mitsuhide had fallen to his knees and was unable to help Keiji. Kasuga had lost her grip on her threads and had almost collapsed, but Sasuke - from what Yukimura could make out through his erratic vision - had jumped to her side and caught her.

_'Everyone looks disoriented... are the other creatures here? That wouldn't be good -'_Yukimura's eyes widened when a long, snaking tail whisked past him and wrapped around Keiji, jerking him away from the bladed creature's mouth. Though the long-tailed creature had saved Keiji from being snagged in the bladed creature's sharp teeth, it lifted him high in the air and slammed him violently into the ground.

"K-Keiji-dono!" Yukimura cried out, struggling to his feet, "Mitsuhide-dono!"

The long haired man was nearly snatched up into the bladed creature's mouth, but gunshots sounded from Yukimura's right and he knew that Nobunaga, Nou hime and Magoichi were firing at the creature to prevent it from chomping Mitsuhide in two. Kotaro and Sasuke quickly dragged anyone that was around the creature away; the rest of the group was turning around and trying to get up, slowly recovering from the powerful screams.

Toshiie and Matsu had freed Keiji from the grip of the long tail, and just as everyone had finished recovering there was another scream. Yukimura managed to cover his ears for most of the scream, but some were not so lucky.

_'Must be the scout that's screaming. Mitsuhide-dono did mention that one of the creature's would only run around and scream but to think that its scream had this kind of power...'_Yukimura staggered to his feet, eyes searching for Oichi. He saw her with Kojyuro and Masamune, the small Itsuki standing behind her. A wave of relief swept through him. Oichi appeared unaffected by the screeching.

The bladed creature leapt over their heads, skidding to a halt next to its friends.

"Everybody regroup!" Shingen bellowed. Quickly Yukimura moved toward his lord's voice, careful not to bump into anyone else. He held his spears defensively in front of him. The smallest of the creatures ran around in front of the other four. It dashed towards the group at random. Yukimura thought it would attack, but it would only shriek pitifully at them and then retreat to the others before repeating the action.

"Now we know they have a weakness. But why wouldn't the back of their necks be covered in the impenetrable armor?" Hideyoshi muttered. Yukimura glanced back, vaguely aware that they were all slowly making their way towards the trees.

"Perhaps their necks aren't covered because that would make it difficult for them to move their heads, Hideyoshi-sama," Mitsunari offered.

"That's a plausible explanation," Motonari agreed, threatening to charge at the scout when it dashed towards them again. It immediately threw its head back, pattering from left to right in front of the group, like a crab. Yukimura heard Nobunaga quietly inform them that he was at the trees.

"We really have a better chance of killing them if we can get _above _them," Sasuke told the group as he, Kasuga and Kotaro jumped into the trees.

"Either that or we _really _make a run for it," Ranmaru said, his voice shaky. Yukimura exchanged a look with Masamune.

"All right, how about this: the shinobi distract them and everybody else runs?" Masamune suggested then. Yukimura's eyes widened at him.

"Masamune-dono-!"

"Danna, it's all right! I think we three agree with the suggestion. You should have more faith in us shinobi."

Kasuga and Kotaro nodded their heads, the female saying, "we'll keep them at bay as long as we can."

"I have faith in you, my beautiful blade," Kenshin purred, smiling at her. She blushed lightly before pulling out her eight kunai. Kotaro and Sasuke followed suit, pulling out their short swords and windmill shiruiken respectively.

"Go now!"

"Right!" everyone turned and shot off. Yukimura fell in step next to his lord, glancing back to see that the creatures' were hesitating. As he turned his head back in the direction the group was going the ground began to shake, signaling that the creatures were beginning to give chase.

"Don't worry about Sasuke, Yukimura. You won't do yourself any good by worrying over him," Yukimura looked up at Shingen after the older man spoke.

_'I didn't realize my worry was so evident on my face...' _Yukimura thought, ashamed that he had let such worry show, _'I know that if I worry over Sasuke he'll think that I don't believe in his ability but... I can't help it...'_

"Woah! Woah, damn!" the shout came from the front, the voice belonging to Masamune. The group rushed together, confused.

"Masamune-dono! What happened?" Yukimura asked when his rival was within ear shot. Masamune turned his head towards Yukimura.

"That black one with all the stars in it is here. The shinobi can't hold back a creature they can't catch," he told Yukimura. His voice was loud enough to carry to everyone else.

"So whatta' we do?" Itsuki wondered, her mallet in hand. Movement to Yukimura's right caught his attention. Tsuruhime was standing next to him, her bow at the ready. She had a cute bob cut that kept Yukimura staring at her. She looked at him, her brown eyes growing a tad bit wider. Yukimura quickly gave the creature his attention when it emerged out of the trees, making a rumbling sound at the back of its throat.

_'It's not attacking us. What does it want?'_ Yukimura watched as Masamune and Kojyuro charged at it. It screamed and ran off, but stopped when Masamune and Kojyuro didn't pursue it. Yukimura noticed that Motochika was about to speak when a black and white blur slammed into him.

"Chousukabe-dono! And Kotaro!" Yukimura rushed over to get Kotaro on his feet. The shinobi was unsteady, his legs shaking. He looked like he was dizzy. Yukimura didn't have to ask where Kasuga and Sasuke were - the green clad shinobi came soaring over next, Kasuga in his arms. As soon as he landed on his feet Kasuga was screaming at him.

"I didn't ask you to catch me!"

"Well I wasn't about to let you get speared through by that bladed creature!" Sasuke retorted. He ignored her screaming and reported to the group, "we better move," he glanced at the starry creature, which made a sound similar to purring in its throat, "that one… seems like it's more docile. I say we follow it."

The ground started shaking and Hideyoshi followed after the creature as it started walking off, "then follow it we will. I'll take my chances with the docile one rather then those other four, especially that screaming one."

Though several generals sighed, the whole group moved as one after the creature. It picked up the pace, running through the trees. Yukimura watched as those who were finding it difficult to keep up were grabbed by those that were quicker on their feet. Masamune had grabbed Oichi while Kojyuro scooped up Itsuki. Yukimura stared after the creature they were following, unable to bring himself to trust it.

_'What if it turns around and attacks us?'_ Yukimura tensed as the creature's head swung around, as if it were checking to make sure they were following it. Yukimura knew he wasn't the only one who tensed, as Mitsunari had his hand on the hilt of his katana and Motochika kept a hand on the staff of his anchor. Yukimura looked back as well, seeing that Nobunaga was struggling to keep up with the group due to his shoulder injury.

"Oyakata-sama."

"Yes, Yukimura?"

"Should we really be trusting this creature? I don't think that's the wisest -" ahead the creature let out a long shriek that echoed back through the woods. Yukimura felt his entire body go cold, his vision abruptly turning to pitch black. He heard several gasps before his heart beat drummed in his ears. When the feeling passed and he regained his sight, Yukimura dropped to his knees. His head was spinning. Beside him Shingen was also on his knees, along with most of the other generals. Up ahead it looked like Oichi had collapsed onto Masamune, whom was sitting on the ground, his legs outstretched in front of him. His head was jerking around as he took in the surroundings, baffled.

"Where - are we?" he asked. His questioned prompted everyone else to look around too, Yukimura noticing that the forest they were now in was full of trees with colorful leaves.

_'Wasn't the forest we were in earlier all… green?'_ he slowly got to his feet, drawing his spears. He couldn't hear anything at all around them, no sound to indicate that the creatures were still in pursuit. The starry one was no longer with them.

"Sasuke," he spoke lowly; Sasuke appeared at his side.

"Yes, danna?"

"Where is that creature? And where are the other ones?" Sasuke's lips formed a tight line over his teeth.

"I'm not sure, danna. I was just looking for the starry one but it's no where to be found. Kasuga and Kotaro were looking with me as well but… we can't find anything around here."

"What the _hell_ was _that?_" the demand came from Mitsunari. Yukimura turned around to see the swordsman crouched next to Hanbei. The smaller man didn't look like he was doing so well with his head bowed. Hideyoshi knelt down next to him, resting a hand on his back.

"Hanbei?"

"Hideyoshi, I'll be all right," Hanbei wheezed, struggling to his feet. Mitsunari assisted him and once Hanbei could stand on his own feet, the swordsman stalked towards Yukimura. Yukimura blinked, then turned back around. Masamune was doing his own investigation, tapping the tree trunks. Oichi was now sitting on the ground, having recovered from whatever event had just occurred. Kojyuro and Ieyasu were inspecting leaves, muttering about them as Itsuki prodded at the dirt.

"What a strange thing… do you think it was that creature?" Nou hime wondered. All heads turned to look at her. She must have felt the need to explain herself, because she spoke again.

"Well, if you think about it, right before that… darkness engulfed us that creature shrieked. And when the darkness left," she gestured around at the forest, "we were here, and that creature is no where to be found."

Kasuga and Kotaro returned, heads shaking. Sasuke looked up at Yukimura and shrugged, then stood from his crouched position. Yukimura followed Shingen as the group came together again. Though a few threats were made here and there - mostly by Mitsunari and directed at Ieyasu - the generals were all getting along with one another.

_'That's a good thing. It would be bad if we all decided to fight amongst our selves…'_ Yukimura thought he heard another shriek, but it sounded very far off. Sasuke, however, jerked to a stop, as did Kasuga and Kotaro. Everyone turned, Nobunaga drawing his gun.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"… I can smell them, Oyakata-sama," the shinobi replied, "I'll go check it out."

He shot away from his spot before anyone could stop him. The seconds that ticked by felt like minutes as everyone tensely awaited Sasuke's return. Yukimura flexed his hands on his spears, trying to keep calm.

_'Sasuke is a shinobi. I have to remember that Sasuke is a shinobi. He can out run those creatures. He can dodge them,'_ as Yukimura thought this Sasuke came stumbling back towards them, eyes wide. He flailed his arms.

"Get back! Get back! _BACK!_" his yelling was accompanied by the bladed creature's furious roaring. Yukimura twisted his body around, following after everyone who had already begun to run back. In the chaos Itsuki - who had been next to Kojyuro - tripped and fell. Kojyuro noticed that she was no longer beside him and he half-turned to see where she was. Yukimura half-turned as well. She was on her feet again; the creature was skidding to a halt, its tail raised in the air.

"Itsuki!" Masamune was the one who called out. At that point Ieyasu stopped running forward. Like Yukimura he turned his body. Itsuki was still trying to make it to the group but there was no way she would make it, not with the creature's hind leg right behind her and its tail raised high in the air. Yukimura jerked forward but was stopped by Sasuke.

In an incredible display of speed Ieyasu launched from where he was standing to in front of Itsuki as the creature brought its tail down, snarling. He parried the tail which was then whipped up into the air again. As the creature paused its actions to take aim Ieyasu wrenched Itsuki's mallet out of her hand, picked her up and spun, building momentum before throwing Itsuki towards the group. Motochika released his anchor to catch her. Yukimura's eyes widened as the mace tipped tail slammed down on Ieyasu's back.

"Ieyasu-dono!" he cried, once again trying to go forward and once again being stopped by Sasuke.

"Danna we don't stand a chance against that thing!" Sasuke tried to reason with Yukimura. Ieyasu was trying to get onto his feet again, blood running down his back and neck. The mace tail raked into his side and sent him soaring into the air, in the direction of the long-tailed creature. Masamune cursed at the arrival of the other creatures.

The long-tailed creature opened its mouth wide, rows of sharp teeth gleaming. Yukimura cried out again, struggling against Sasuke and now Mitsunari's restraining hands. In his frantic attempt to try and save Ieyasu from the creature, a bright flash of red caught Yukimura's eyes. Something small zipped up the long-tailed creature's back, up its neck and onto its nose. The red animal looked like a large, longer legged version of a salamander. It launched off the long-tailed creature's nose and outstretched its arms, latching onto Ieyasu. The force of its jump caused Ieyasu to stop falling towards the open mouth of the long-tailed creature and he plummeted straight to the ground right as the long-tailed creature snapped its jaws in rage.

As soon as Ieyasu hit the ground a horde of the little red animals burst out of the woods, rushing at the long-tailed creature. The bladed one roared at them and stomped after them, trying to crush them underfoot. Yukimura finally got free of Sasuke and Mitsunari, his hands releasing his spears.

"Ieyasu-dono!" he yelled, running towards the group of red animals that had converged over Ieyasu. They appeared to be trying to drag him towards the group.

"Ieyasu-dono, Ieyasu-dono!" Yukimura dropped down to all fours. The red animals dispersed, hovering around Yukimura and Ieyasu in circles. They made quiet squealing noises, like they were worried. When the bladed creature roared again all their little red heads turned in its direction and they squealed right back at it. Yukimura jerked Ieyasu up into a sitting position, wrapping his arm around Ieyasu's back. Yukimura swallowed when Ieyasu coughed up blood.

_'What should I do? What should I do?'_ Yukimura questioned himself. Someone else had joined him and an anchor was slammed into the ground.

"Ieyasu!" it was Motochika, "oi, Ieyasu! Get a hold of yourself!"

The pirate general was trying in vain to mask the concern in his voice. The little red animals started running around frantically.

"Sanada! Chousukabe! Its going to charge!" Hideyoshi barked. Motochika jerked his anchor out of the ground. The other creatures were doing nothing; Yukimura thought this odd.

"I'm not moving," he growled. Yukimura slipped his other arm under Ieyasu's legs and attempted to lift him. He bit his lip when Ieyasu coughed up more blood, his face contorted with pain. Two other people joined them and Yukimura looked up to see Keiji and the red-haired woman with the strange looking gun-holster wrapped around her thigh; Magoichi. The creature snarled and charged, the little red animals scattering.

It was then that a dark gray armored character dashed in front of Yukimura, the cape he had on his back fluttering over Yukimura's head.

"Do _not_!" he barked in a stern, low voice. The bladed creature slammed its forelegs into the ground, spraying dirt and leaves everywhere as it tried to come to a stop. Another creature appeared, its head in a spade shape. It head butted the bladed creature and threw it off balance. When the long-tailed creature made to attack the new arrival, the man in front of Yukimura slammed his foot into the ground.

"I said do _not_!" his voice had become harsher - a very commanding tone. The long-tailed creature whined and lay down on the ground. To the right Yukimura watched in awe as the bladed creature retracted its blades and crawled towards the man on its stomach, releasing a series of low trills. The man approached it, hand outstretched. He rested his palm on the creature's forehead.

Meanwhile, Yukimura found himself being gently pried away from Ieyasu by the creature with the spade head.

"W-wait- ah-" Yukimura didn't know what to do as the creature opened its mouth and carefully picked up Ieyasu in its jaws. Its teeth were like a human's, rounded and smooth incisors and four sharp canine teeth. It backed up, Yukimura looking around at everyone to see that they were immobile from shock. The scout, starry beast and the one with the strange tail appeared then, near the bladed creature. The creature with the long-tail joined the other four, lying down next to the bladed one. Yukimura couldn't stop his frantic breathing.

In front of him the spade headed creature was letting its saliva drip onto Ieyasu's back. Steam rose from the saliva and Yukimura jumped forward.

The creature snapped its jaws at him, its teeth suddenly becoming sharp cylinders. A strong arm wrapped around Yukimura's torso while a hand grasped his arm and pulled him back.

"Sanada, calm down, just… look at his wounds. That saliva is healing him," Motochika said. To the left Magoichi made a sound of disgust.

"That's rather… gross," she commented as the man walked over to the creature. He bent over to lift Ieyasu as the creature opened its mouth very wide.

"Hey, what-?" Keiji cut off in shock as the man hefted Ieyasu into the creature's mouth. It swallowed him.

"Just what do you think -"

"If my beast's saliva is healing him, then you should know _exactly_ what I'm doing," the man interrupted Motochika. Shuffling feet caught Yukimura's attention and he looked over his shoulder to see that the rest of their group had moved forward. The man raised his hand and rested it on the side of the spade headed creature's face. It nudged him in a motherly way.

The man's brow furrowed – _'seems like he's realizes that we... are lost,'_ Yukimura decided as Keiji and Motochika released him. The man's bright yellow eyes scanned over everyone and he leaned toward the group, "who are you? Where did you come from? I've never seen anyone like you around before."

"Likewise," Masamune said, standing next to Yukimura now, Oichi at his elbow, "we've never seen anything like these creatures before, you see? We don't even know where we are. All I know is that that starry one over there shrieked and then we were engulfed in black and then we were here."

The creature next to the man started jerking its head back, like it was preparing to regurgitate something. The man simply stood there, his yellow eyes slowly sweeping over the group. Suddenly Ieyasu was at Yukimura's feet, covered in clear mucus. He jumped up onto his feet, wiping some of the mucus off his face and looked back at everyone.

"Well! I'm feeling a lot better. Uh…" Yukimura had moved back with everyone else, looking Ieyasu up an down. He looked down at himself as well, "I guess that means none of you are going to hug me."

His comment startled laughter out of a few generals. Yukimura grinned, his eyes falling onto the man again. His eyes were wider then they had been, his lips tight. Yukimura's grin died.

_'I wonder why he's making that face,'_ he was about to ask when Kenshin spoke up.

"Is there a reason you look so uneasy?"

The man opened his mouth to speak, "I... I am a Creator. Those – these – creatures, they are called Beasts," he looked over his shoulder at the Beasts, unsure of how he should continue.

"What do you mean, you are a Creator?" Yukimura asked, curious. The man locked eyes with Yukimura.

"I made them. I create Beasts, therefore, I am a Creator. I more specifically created this one here," he patted the beast next to him, "those ones back there could have been made by any nineteen of us."

"Nineteen!" Toshiie exclaimed. He was standing next to Keiji with Matsu when Yukimura looked. Toshiie continued speaking, "there are nineteen of you?"

"There were twenty, but one of us is dead. I am not about to tell you why he's dead but-" he went silent, his head jerking to the left. All the Beasts turned their heads to the left as well, several releasing low growls.

The starry Beast suddenly stood, wobbling, and hobbled over to the Creator. Once next to him it lay down again; Yukimura stared at it. Its body was beginning to radiate a strange bluish color. As Yukimura looked up at the Creator again, he noticed that the man had acquired a saddened expression. He set his hand on the Beast's head and spoke.

"Since I can create them I can also... destroy them... _disintegrate_," the word left his mouth reluctantly. The Beast closed its eyes, and Yukimura stared in awe as its body dissolved to black ashes. He wasn't the only one stunned by the display.

"You just... killed it?" Toshiie exclaimed. The Creator simply nodded his head and raised his hand to his Beast's mouth. It spat some saliva into his hand and he proceeded towards Nobunaga. Nou hime quickly removed the cloth from Nobunaga's shoulder and the Creator slapped the saliva onto the shoulder wound.

Yukimura watched as one of the fast red beasts from earlier scampered up the Creator's back. It was making gurgling sounds at him; the other beasts were restless. Yukimura looked at them, watching as the four Beasts rose onto their feet.

The Creator shook slightly and the Beasts crowded around him, like he was something important to protect.

"Listen. I don't have much time. I can't explain everything to you. Creators... we were originally a part of the Beast army. After a certain event we escaped with our Beasts – even the Beast army can't combat them very well. Listen, if you find a herd of Beasts, it would be wise to stay with them. They will protect you..." he glanced to the left several times, his lips quivering.

"The wisest choice for you is to head north – to a land they used to call Oshuu – and seek refuge with the Snake army. That is the only other army on this continent aside from the Beast army. Be careful when crossing the Barren lands; that is T-Ty-" he swallowed and gave up trying to say the name of whoever it was that ruled the Barren lands, "I will – I will only explain to you one Beast: the Rifter. The Rifter has the ability to traverse through different realities. This is not your reality and that Rifter's strength was spent; that's why it died and I disintegrated it. When it brought you here it only did so because that was the only way it could return the other beasts back here. It is dead, and until you find another Rifter you can _never_ return to your reality, do you understand?"

Yukimura nodded his head, as he was sure everyone else was doing.

"Ah, wait, first um... what is that red Beast? They _did_ save my life, after all," Ieyasu asked, shuffling his feet.

"Predator," the Creator replied stiffly before mounting onto his Beast's neck, "Predator, Scout, Shield Tail, Whiplash and Slicer. Those are what they are called. This is a Shoveler. I – I will go that direction," he nodded to the left, "you head north," he pointed slightly behind him, "but stay in the trees as much as possible. The Beast army... they don't like fighting in the trees. Half of them wear armor that renders them useless in trees."

The group didn't move and Masamune spoke up, "we can't just leave you to the Beast army."

The Creator narrowed his eyes and suddenly Yukimura found himself – and the rest of the group, for that matter – being stormed after by the different Beasts present, forced to head in the direction the Creator had pointed out.

"You _have_ to leave me! I have Beasts; you do not. I can defend myself; you cannot. Leave! Go! Find the Snake army and survive!" the Shoveler bounded off in the opposite direction, the Creator settled on its neck. Yukimura knew it would be pointless to pursue the Creator; the Beasts were too powerful and too fast for them to keep up. Masamune cursed under his breath.

"Guess we have no choice, eh? Better move it then..." begrudgingly the generals all followed after Masamune.

As the hours dragged on with the group passing nothing but trees and foliage – and the occasional animal, but everyone was too on edge to actually want to eat something – Yukimura couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

_'As if... someone has been following us since we got here but...'_ he glanced over his shoulder, sure he saw a pale green blur in the trees to his left.

_'We are definitely being followed,'_ but Yukimura decided not to tell the others.

* * *

Countervail is a real word. Here is the definition: to act or avail against with equal power, force, or effect; counteract. Okay, that's only one of them, but you get my point.

Seriously confused yet? No? Maybe? Yes? Good. Stay that way for the next three chapters; then it will all start to make sense.


	2. Chapter 2

Late update is late; I apologize, this chapter was a bitch to write.

Right, so going to restate here, there are only hetero pairings in this story. This will not change at any given time. Most romance that will occur will be between my OCs. Yeah.

This chapter has its humorous moments, as well as it's tense ones. Also includes Nobunaga hiding in bushes, yep, yep!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Digestion**

Matsu observed the woods as they proceeded through them. They had been in this strange place a little over three hours, and now most of the group had adjusted to it. No one was tense anymore, save for a few of the more stoic members in the group. Everyone had dropped into idle chatter, commenting on how the trees were changing colors and the weather was cooler then it had been. Next to her, Toshiie breathed in deeply.

"Smells like fall," he commented. There were several murmurs of agreement from others in the group. Matsu smiled.

_'It does smell like fall,'_ she pursed her lips, _'but when we were in… our Japan, I suppose, it was only spring,'_ she traced her hands over the bark of a nearby tree.

"Inuchiyo-sama."

"Yes, Matsu?"

"Wasn't it spring when we left our Japan?" she voiced her concern, turning her head to look at her husband, "and here in this Japan it's fall. Doesn't that seem a little strange to you?"

Toshiie shrugged, "maybe we were transported to a different part of Japan?" he suggested. Matsu gave him a small smile and looked up at the sky through the trees.

"I suppose so, Inuchiyo-sama," she returned to brooding. It could be that they were in a different part of Japan, but to her that was unlikely. It made more sense to her that something strange had occurred when they were transported to this different Japan, almost like they had been thrust forward into time. She knew time travel was impossible, but if the Beast the Creator had called a Rifter could traverse realities, then she guessed that it was highly likely that the Rifter could also traverse time.

_'I think that's highly likely,' _she glanced back at the men and few women behind her, _'though it may be better if I kept my thoughts to myself for now.'_

As her eyes scoured the ground she noticed that they were being followed by a group of Predators. Their large black eyes were focused on certain members of the group. Matsu narrowed her eyes and followed the different gazes. One bunch of the Predators were looking at Ranmaru, another bunch were looking at Ieyasu. Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed that two other bunches on the other side of the group were looking at Masamune and Kojyuro.

_'The one thing in common that those four have is the element of lightning,'_ her brows furrowed and she stopped walking. Toshiie looked at her in surprise and stopped walking as well.

"Matsu?" he said as she crouched down and opened her arms towards a Predator. It gurgled before trotting over to her and placing its amphibious hands on her right shoulder. She stood up with the Predator in her arms.

"Masamune-dono," she called. He jerked his head up, surprised to be called out to by her. He cautiously approached her, his lone blue eye focused on the Beast in her arms.

"Yeah?"

"I've noticed that these Predators were following us, though after some observing it seems that they are only looking only at you, Kojyuro-dono, Ranmaru and Ieyasu-dono. And," she offered Masamune the Predator but when it hissed at him she held it to her chest again, "the only thing I can think of that you four have in common is the element of lightning."

Masamune furrowed his brow and Hideyoshi approached from the side. Masamune reached out to the Predator, letting some of his lightning zap off his hand. It screamed and struggled in Matsu's arms, causing Masamune to immediately withdraw his hand. The Predators to the sides also screamed and darted off in all directions. The one in Matsu's arms eventually calmed down, but she could feel its heart pounding in its chest and its sides expand and contract as it breathed rapidly.

She crouched down and set it on the ground, watching it scamper away, "how interesting. They didn't like that very much."

"Could it be that lightning affects them?" Kojyuro suggested, leaning against a tree. Matsu looked up at him, lips pursed in thought.

"The might be true… if we come across a Beast that can talk, perhaps we should ask. It would make sense," she spoke quickly, as a few generals looked like they were quite willing to start an argument, "if the Beasts were affected by attacks empowered by elements rather then by weapons themselves. Anyway, it's just a thought."

She walked ahead of the group, silently fuming, _'all these men! They can never seem to be able to get along with anyone,'_ she sighed, _'I hope we can last the night together.'_

Toshiie trotted up next to her, "Matsu! Are you upset?"

She laughed softly, "not really, Inuchiyo-sama. It's just that all you men can't seem to go a day without _some_ kind of fight."

Her comment was heard by several others in the group. Some of them chuckled while others laughed.

"We can't help it! All us men in one small group. There's bound to be a few fights," Motochika's strong hand clasped Matsu's shoulder, "will you be the one to break up our childish fights, mother?"

She smiled at the pirate, her eyebrows drawing in towards the middle. He had the cheekiest grin on his face. She patted his hand.

"Of course I will break you children up, before you get any bad boo-boos."

"Boo-boos?" Motochika repeated, laughing. He removed his hand from her shoulder, "I hope you'll look after us well if we _do_ get boo-boos, mother."

"Of course," she assured him, tossing her head. The mood was now lighter in the group. Motochika sauntered off to talk to Keiji, who was trying to keep Yumekichi entertained. Matsu breathed in the forest air deeply.

_'This is such a beautiful place. As long as we don't run into anyone in the Beast army we should be safe. I wonder how we'll tell the Beast army and Snake army apart.'_

The sky above was beginning to get considerably darker. Matsu listened as Shingen raised his voice over the chatter.

"We should begin looking for a place to camp out. Hopefully, we'll survive the night."

Nobody complained about the proposition and split into groups. Matsu watched in mild surprise when she saw that Oichi wandered off with Masamune and Kojyuro. The young Itsuki stayed with the two dragons, though she looked disgruntled about the loss of her mallet. Matsu continued forward with Keiji, Toshiie and Motochika. A glance over her shoulder let her see that the three shinobi decided to dart off together, Shingen and Yukimura grouping together with Ieyasu, Motonari and Yoshitsugu before going off to the left. Nobunaga, Mitsuhide, Ranmaru and Nou hime wandered off to the right. Tsuruhime and Magoichi teamed up with Kenshin, wandering after Shingen's group but in a more southern direction. Lastly, Hideyoshi, Hanbei and Mitsunari headed to the right, Mitsunari looking quite keen on finding a clear place to camp first.

_'… I hope that doesn't mean these other rivals will be trying to outdo each other,'_ Matsu fretted, her eyes darting in the directions that each rival had gone. Matsu and her group combed the section of the woods that they had designated themselves to, but found nothing. Motochika shrugged, leaning against a tree.

"We tried. If no one else can find a place, we'll just have to camp out here. I'm more worried about what we're gonna' do when people start getting hungry."

Matsu couldn't suppress her gasp, "hungry men are angry men. I'm glad you brought that up," she turned to Toshiie, "what will we do about food?"

"I - I have no idea. We can't really eat Beasts."

"That doesn't sound healthy, either," Keiji added, poking Yumekichi in the chest with his finger, "if we could find a river maybe -"

"Oi!" the sharp call belonged to Masamune. Matsu looked in the general direction of his voice and he emerged from the woods seconds later.

"We found a spot. It's not that big, but it's clear enough. And next to a river, you see?" he informed them, jerking his thumb back in the direction he had come. Matsu took note that he had removed his helmet.

_'He looks quite handsome without his helmet on, actually,'_ she thought, suppressing a giggle.

"What about -"

"Old man Takeda's already over there, along with those two girls and the War god. I'm collecting everyone else," Toshiie started walking away and Matsu followed him, only to find herself being latched onto by the young general.

"Oi, Maeda Toshiie! I'll be borrowing your wife for a bit, if you don't mind," Masamune called to Toshiie. Toshiie laughed, looking back over his shoulder at Matsu.

"I don't mind, but why would you need to borrow her, Masamune-dono?"

"She's our unofficial mother. I need her to protect me from Toyotomi, since Kojyuro's stuck with Itsuki on his lap," Masamune replied, a smirk on his lips. Keiji and Motochika started laughing as they headed back in the direction Masamune had come from. Matsu lightly smacked Masamune on the head and he pouted at her.

"I'm sorry mother. Please keep me safe," he requested before lifting two fingers to his mouth. He released a shrill whistle, then crossed his arms over his chest. Matsu's eyes scanned the woods, waiting to see if anyone had heard the whistle. The first group to arrive was Hideyoshi's. Mitsunari appeared, his silver topped head poking around the trees. He narrowed his green eyes at Masamune before he walked fully into the opening, gesturing to the men behind him. They emerged from behind the trees also.

"You whistled?" Mitsunari asked, venom in his voice. Matsu spared a glance at Masamune to see that his jaw was tight.

_'So this is why he wanted me to stay. He knew who was in this direction,'_ Matsu quickly spoke up before Masamune could respond to Mitsunari's question.

"Yes, he's the one who whistled, Mitsunari-dono. It's easier then walking off trying to collect you physically - oh, Nobunaga-sama!" she exclaimed when Nobunaga walked out from the trees to her right. He gave her a curt nod.

"Matsu. The Dokuganryuu whistled, I assume?" Nobunaga said while his wife, Mitsuhide and Ranmaru came to stand beside him.

"Yes. He and his group found a mostly clear spot in that direction," Matsu pointed behind her. Masamune simply nodded his head before turning sharply and leading the way back to the spot. Matsu placed herself slightly behind him, glancing over her shoulder at Mitsunari. His glare was definitely boring holes into Masamune's back.

She stared at the other man until he looked at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, shaking her head. He also narrowed his eyes but diverted his glare towards the trees after that. Matsu released the breath she was holding. The walk to the river was a silent one. Matsu knew they had arrived when she heard Motochika's boisterous laugh and a growled response from Kojyuro. She trotted ahead, smiling at the scene before her.

Yukimura was already sprawled out on the ground, snoring lightly. Shingen was sitting next to the young soldier, Sasuke at his elbow, staring at Yukimura and shaking his head. Kasuga was on a rock overlooking the river that slithered silently past the small clearing, Kenshin standing next to the rock. Kotaro was relaxed in a tree near Yoshitsugu, who was sitting on the ground for once instead of floating on his mat. Motonari was fussing over Tsuruhime - though Matsu wasn't sure _why_ he would fuss over her - and the young girl let him while she played with Yumekichi. Keiji was trying to subtly flirt with Magoichi but the woman was blatantly ignoring him, giving her attention instead to Hanbei when he sat down on the other side of her. Matsu stifled her laugh when Keiji pouted, giving Hanbei a look.

"Shut up, Chousokabe, before I lose my temper," Matsu snapped her head in the direction of Kojyuro's snarl. His cheeks were redder then usual and Matsu quickly saw why: Oichi was leaning against him, sleeping, while Itsuki was curled up on his lap, her head against his chest, also sleeping. Masamune walked into Matsu's vision, blocking her view of Oichi.

"Keeping them all to yourself, are you, Kojyuro?" Masamune teased, planting his hand on his hip. Kojyuro's mouth pulled down further at the tips as he looked up at Masamune.

"Masamune-sama, you aren't helping."

The young general laughed along with Motochika. Matsu approached the small group and leaned down in front of Motochika.

"Stop teasing him."

Motochika pursed his lips at her, resting his cheek against his fist, "what're you gonna' do about it, mother?"

"I will not feed you," she threatened, smiling evilly. Motochika gave her a horrified look.

"You won't feed me!"

"No, I won't feed you. Or you," she quickly added, looking up at Masamune.

"Damn!" he said, snapping his fingers. He sat down next to Oichi and stretched, dropping his arm around her shoulder and giving her a little shake. She straightened, blinking her eyes.

"Hn?"

"Wake up, sleepy head. Kojyuro's being teased 'cause of you and Itsuki," Masamune informed her, removing his arm from around her. Matsu bit her lip against informing Masamune about Oichi's bad habit of believing that everything was her fault.

_'The fact that he said it was because of her first will block out the fact that he said it was also because of Itsuki… Oichi-sama…'_ she bit her lip harder, watching in vain as Oichi's eyes widened slightly. She looked at Kojyuro.

"I-Ichi is sorry. Katakura-sama is being teased and it is all Ichi's fault," she ducked her head, her hair creating a veil around her face. Masamune's eye narrowed back and he lifted her hair away from her face.

"Oi, it's not a bad thing, Ichi. Ah, right," he pushed her up into a straight position, "is it all right if I call you Ichi?"

Matsu breathed a sigh of relief as Oichi blinked and turned her head to look at Itsuki before looking at Masamune again. She poked her finger against the ground, "Ichi doesn't mind, but… Ichi thinks that she will continue to refer to the Dokuganryuu as Dokuganryuu. Is… is it okay if Ichi continues to call you that, Dokuganryuu?"

"If it makes you comfortable..." he replied, his voice trailing off. Matsu turned, wondering about his reaction to that. It was clear that he didn't like that Oichi would rather call him by his nickname then by his name.

_'But since it's Oichi-sama that we're talking about… she'll start calling him Masamune-sama in no time, I'm sure,'_ she smiled to herself as she sat down next to Toshiie. He nudged her with his elbow.

"What are you smiling about, Matsu?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking about Oichi-sama. Ah, look at her now," Matsu couldn't suppress her giggle at Masamune's expense, "now she's leaning against him."

The general of Oshuu had a faint blush on his cheeks. Toshiie stilted his laughter when Kojyuro leaned toward his lord, giving him a "mm-what's-this?" look. Masamune tried to swat at his retainer without disturbing Oichi.

"Looks like Kojyuro-dono is enjoying the moment. Just look at that smirk. I feel a little sorry for Masamune-dono," he grinned at Matsu, "but I suppose he had it coming when he teased Kojyuro-dono first."

Matsu giggled, "he certainly did have it coming for him. Now how about we sleep, hm, Inuchiyo-sama?" she snuggled against his side as she made the suggestion. He wrapped an arm securely around her.

"Un, let's sleep, Matsu."

The night seemed to pass by very quickly, as Matsu was awoken the next morning to splashing and cursing.

"Shush, Date, you're going to wake everybody else up!" she heard Motochika frantically whisper. She opened her eyes a crack to see that the general of Oshuu had stripped down to his pants and was stalking around in the water.

"Damn fish! Stop moving!" he hissed, glaring at the water. Matsu didn't manage to stop her giggle before it escaped. The two men jerked their heads in her direction and held their fingers to their lips. After a moment Motochika gestured for her to come over. She carefully disengaged from Toshiie and approached the two. Masamune flopped into the water.

"… what an interesting way to fish. I'm surprised you haven't woken anyone else yet. And the shinobi -"

"Eh, the shinobi were awake first. They're trying to see if they can find anything else," Motochika shrugged, looking at the sleeping forms of everyone else, "guess most of us are heavy sleepers. That, and Oichi switched who she was sleeping on again in the middle of the night, so Katakura's kinda' stuck… sitting there… with two girls on him. Again," Motochika caught a rock in his fist, chuckling softly.

"Be _quiet_, Chousokabe," Kojyuro growled, huffing. Motochika leaned toward Matsu as Masamune emerged victorious from the water with three large trout.

"You see, Katakura is quite the gentleman. And, has developed a soft-spot for those two," he winked at her with his lone blue eye while Masamune set the fish on the river back near her before he went back in the water. Motochika hit the three of them over the head with the rock he had caught, deftly killing them. Matsu nodded towards the submerged general.

"And you aren't helping him because?" she kept her voice low.

"He didn't want my help. Even though I told him that I wouldn't be helping," Motochika sighed and cracked his knuckles, "I swear, he's more stubborn then Mori."

"Well he's a general like you," Matsu looked up at the sky through the trees. The sky was a beautiful deep cobalt, _'it must just be dawn. What an early time to be awake.'_

Sunlight was peeking through the trees from the east; Matsu guessed that this light was enough for Masamune to fish. He burst out of the water, a net on his head, and someone dropped down next to Matsu.

"Dokuganryuu, why in the world do you have a net on your head?" Kasuga exclaimed loudly before clapping her hand over her mouth, her eyes flicking back. Armor clinked and clanked and people mumbled incoherently in their sleep.

_'Oh, kunoichi! I thought shinobi were quiet,'_ Matsu inwardly complained as she turned to see who had awoken. Mitsunari sat there, staring blearily ahead of himself, but aside from him it appeared that no one else had woken up. Matsu turned around when she heard Masamune struggling. She giggled lightly at him as Kasuga attempted to remove the net from off his head.

"Hold still, Dokuganryuu! If you would stop moving I would be able to get this net off your head!" Kasuga hissed. Masamune stop flailing his arms and let the kunoichi remove the net. Mitsunari made his way over to the small group.

"Why in the world do you have a net on your head?"

"Dunno. It was just… suddenly there, you see?" Masamune replied to Mitsunari's question. Sasuke came leaping down from a nearby tree, spinning around frantically. Kotaro landed behind him, looking just as frantic. Alarmed, the rest of the group looked around as well.

"What -" Matsu started to ask but was interrupted by Sasuke.

"Do you see him? Little guy sure is fast!" he exclaimed. Kotaro shook his head and then to the right Matsu heard what sounded like a giggle but was lower and more boyish. The group turned to look at the rock next to them.

_'… what's that boy doing here? And is it just me or is he wearing shinobi gear?'_ Matsu peered at him more closely. He simply stood there, fearless of the people in front of him. His armor was skin tight and leather like Kasuga's, but a pale green. The belt around his waist had a few pouches on it, and Matsu could see the hilt of a short blade poking out from behind his back. He crouched down, and Matsu noticed that he had very large, observant eyes. They were a bright orange and made him look curious. Suddenly he was in front of her, simply staring. Shocked, she stepped back.

_'It's like he's just observing us…. ah!'_ Sasuke had leapt in front of her, windmill shiruiken drawn. The boy also drew his weapon, a short broad-dagger. Sasuke hesitated in his attack and the boy back flipped up and into a nearby tree, sheathing his blade. Kotaro was about to go after him but was stopped by Sasuke.

"Wait. He's not trained for combat."

"Not trained for combat? I've never heard of a shinobi not trained for combat," Mitsunari said, lowering his arm. He had raised it in preparation to attack. The boy sat down on the tree branch, puffing out his cheeks in an agitated way.

"Shinobi that aren't trained for combat are usually trained for collecting intel," Sasuke spoke quietly. Matsu looked over her shoulder to see that Masamune was pulling his overcoat back on.

_'Kasuga must have helped him get his armor on quickly,'_ Matsu decided after seeing the kunoichi was standing near him, her eyes squinting at the boy. Matsu leaned down to speak to Sasuke.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's meant to collect intel only. He has very large eyes."

"Yeah, and that worries me," Sasuke's eyes followed the boy as he hopped around the camp, peering closely at everyone, rarely blinking his huge eyes. Once he was done looking at Nobunaga - the last person furthest from the river - he bounded over to Kojyuro, stopping in a jerk and leaning down to look at Itsuki. Kojyuro's glare didn't startle him in the slightest as he stared at his face, tilting his head to the right.

_'Looking at his scar, I presume,' _Matsu bit her lip when the boy shuffled closer to look at Ichi. He scurried away, laughing lightly when Kojyuro swatted at him. Masamune walked towards the boy, standing in front of Kojyuro and the two girls. Oichi had straightened, now awake from all the talking going on around her.

"What are you doing here, kid?" he demanded, glaring down at the boy. The boy tilted his head, smiling. Without saying a word he hopped over to the net left on the bank of the river and picked it up. Next, he jumped over the river and turned on the ball of his foot, dropping the net in the water. It was in the water for little over three seconds before he yanked it up with a huff and dragged it four feet from the bank - full of fish. He set it there and straightened, staring at the people in front of him.

"… intel collected. Ready to leave," he spoke then, but not to them. Matsu jumped at the sound of his voice - it was higher then she expected for a boy of his size. Next to the boy the air changed; shimmering. Matsu gasped when a tall man dressed in a similar leather suit to the boy materialized next to him. His leather suit was a glossy black, and a chain-mail scarf was draped around his neck. His dark brown hair covered his right eye - his visible eye was a light gray.

He rested his hand on the boy's shoulder, muttering, "invisibility," and the boy was gone. The man wasted no time in joining him in the invisible form, spinning rapidly twice before he was gone as well. Matsu noticed that Sasuke had clenched his fist.

"… I haven't even perfected that yet."

"Perfected what, Sasuke?" the sleepy question came from none-other then Yukimura. Matsu set her eyes on the fish, then looked at Kojyuro - Sasuke was pouting at his master, refusing to answer the question.

"Kojyuro-dono, perhaps you would be willing to help me cook up these fish?"

Kojyuro smiled - something Matsu decided he needed to do more often - and passed Itsuki over to Masamune before standing, "gladly."

Matsu made the small jump over to the net and Kojyuro followed her; Sasuke, Kotaro and Kasuga bounded into the trees, saying something about finding wild berries. Motochika was dangling his feet in the water, staring at Matsu. She tilted her head at him, her eyes trailing down to the fish.

"Chousokabe-dono, could you toss those fish over?" she asked. He jumped to his feet.

"Sure thing," he said while throwing the fish over to Matsu's side. It wasn't long before Matsu and Kojyuro had started a small fire and cooked all the fish. The smell of the food had woken up everyone else as well and Hideyoshi squinted at the two of them.

"Why are you cooking the fish on that side of the river?"

Kojyuro and Matsu exchanged a look, before Matsu cheekily replied, "oh, Kojyuro-dono and I were going to keep all the fish to ourselves."

"Seeing as it's something I've become rather good at," Kojyuro added, a smirk touching his lips. Motochika burst into laughter and Masamune rolled his eyes, smiling. Keiji hung his head like a dejected puppy.

"Of course we're only joking, Keiji. There were… two shinobi here earlier, a man and a boy. The boy caught all these fish and dumped them on this side, then they left," Matsu explained. Kojyuro scratched the back of his neck.

"It would be troublesome to bring all the fish over to that side though."

"Well, then, we'll come to you," Hideyoshi decided as he stood. Everyone else followed.

_'Not like they would complain. Food is food, and Kojyuro-dono and I made it so it's only natural for them to come to the food,'_ Matsu thought as everyone gathered around. Conversations were kept to different groups, and halfway through the meal Itsuki squeaked.

"Ahh, it took my fish!" she complained. Masamune gazed over Itsuki's head at the Predator. It approached Masamune, looking up at him, smacking its lips together like it was a koi waiting to be fed. Masamune set his mostly eaten fish on his leg, waiting.

_'Wonder why he would do that,' _Matsu bit into her fish. She watched the Predator as it cautiously approached Masamune. When he made no reaction to it after it patted the fish with its paw, it gurgled and leapt onto his lap, making him raise his hands in surprise.

"Woah! Oh, no, don't _eat_ it off my leg you little - ugh!" a number of the group laughed when the Predator swallowed the fish in one gulp and rolled onto its back, gurgling up at Masamune. He planted his palms on his thighs, giving the Beast a look.

"What, you want me to rub your belly?" he asked it. Yukimura squinted at his rival.

"Masamune-dono, are you sure that it can-"

The Predator stretched on Masamune's lap, like a cat would when feeling content. Masamune scratched its stomach, rolling his eye and smiling.

"I guess it does understand," Mitsunari muttered. Matsu shook her head and smiled before taking another bite into her fish. Keiji appeared on her right side, peering down at her intently.

"Matsu-nee-chan-"

"No, Keiji. My fish," she cut him off, tapping him on the nose. He pouted and eyed the other fish lying near the fire, under Kojyuro's guard.

"What about those?"

"For the shinobi that are - have just returned," Matsu amended her sentence as the three dropped down, a number of colorful morsels in their arms. Sasuke delivered his burden to Matsu, while Kasuga and Kotaro dropped theirs in front of Kojyuro. Matsu and Kojyuro exchanged looks.

"You two probably know more about wild foods then we do, so… inspection is necessary," Sasuke explained.

"Especially on these mushrooms," Kasuga tapped one, frowning, "normally we'd be able to tell the difference, but… we all got confused when it came to this gray-spotted one."

"Gray-spotted?" Kojyuro picked it up, looking at it keenly, "I've never heard of a gray-spotted one."

Before she inspected the food Matsu looked around for the Predator; her eyes widened when she saw that it was on Hanbei's head, tapping his mask. Hanbei looked like he wanted to swat it off, but at the same time he looked to be enjoying the attention, a small smile on his lips.

"Hanbei-sama, is that thing being a nuisance? I can get rid of it for you," Mitsunari said, unsheathing his blade. Masamune was then behind Hanbei, lifting the Predator off his head.

"Or we could just lift if off like this and have nobody get hurt," he set the Predator on the ground before getting in Mitsunari's face, "you see?"

Mitsunari did not appreciate having Masamune so close, "yes I can _see_ that quite clearly, Dokuganryuu. Now move."

"Think you're special just because you're one of Hideyoshi's men, Ishida?" Masamune jeered. Hideyoshi placed a hand on Mitsunari's shoulder and pulled him back, narrowing his eyes at Masamune. The blue general bared his teeth and stalked back over to Oichi and Itsuki. A tense moment followed the short argument.

_'If only we could all get along…' _Matsu's eyes followed after the Predator as it wandered closer to her, eyes intent on the assortment of foods in front of her. It batted a mushroom away from the pile and devoured it. Sasuke stared at it in shock.

"Hey um… is that good for you?" Sasuke jumped and a series of "ew"s and other sounds of disgust rose from the group when the Predator vomited back up the mushroom. It hung its tongue out of its mouth, wiping it against the ground. Sasuke broke off a part of his fish to give to it and it quickly gobbled up the piece.

"Didn't like that too much did you? Poor thing…" Matsu commented. The Predator then gathered up all the mushrooms that looked like the one it had eaten and put them in a pile. Matsu raised her eyebrow at it, and looked at Kojyuro to see that he had copied it and moved all the same mushrooms to a different pile.

After a few minutes of the Predator trying the different foods and barfing up the ones it disliked, Matsu laughed. The generals looked at her.

"I see. The Predator is organizing our food for us, since Itsuki and Masamune were kind enough to feed it some fish," she smiled at the Predator and patted it on the head, "you're a sweet little thing, aren't you?"

It bobbed its head up and down, jumping into Matsu's lap and spinning around several times as a cat would before settling down. Matsu stroked its back and Toshiie commented softly, "you've added another animal to your troupe, Matsu."

"I guess I have, Inuchiyo-sama…" she eyed the now small piles of mushrooms and berries the group had, "these aren't very substantial but… it's not like we'll be able to do anything else with them. We need to divide these evenly amongst everyone and carry them with us…"

"Hey, what about this net? Think we should take it with us?" Yukimura was punched into a tree by Shingen shortly after the last syllable left his lips.

"_You idiot!_ Why would we leave the net, of all things, behind?" Shingen demanded. Masamune did nothing to disguise his snickering. Sasuke dropped down next to Shingen.

"Oyakata-sama, I know that it's routine of yours and danna's but… perhaps we can refrain from the yelling until in the hands of the Snake army?"

Shingen nodded at Sasuke, "mm, good point, Sasuke."

The group around Matsu mulled about while she, Kojyuro and Toshiie divided the berries and mushrooms into twenty-six different piles. Oichi, Nou hime and Itsuki came over to assist in passing out the morsels. Matsu was pleased when she heard the muttered thanks that the girls received from passing out the food.

"Everyone ready to move-out?" Kenshin was the one who asked the question. Matsu looked at the men and women around her, watching as they did the same. A variety of "yes"s were heard and Kenshin nodded, leading the group in the direction of the Snake army's city - _'or so we hope,'_ Matsu thought glumly.

This pattern continued for the next three days, the Predator always running ahead with the shinobi to scout and returning to Matsu to gurgle in her ear its report, despite the fact that she couldn't understand it very well. The fourth night did not bode well for the group.

"Storm clouds are gathering above, Kotaro says," Sasuke reported to the group. They had decided to settle in a clearing, having been unable to locate a river - or a stream - even with the assistance of the Predator. Matsu wrung her hands together, gnawing on her lip as the generals mulled over the information that Sasuke and Kotaro had just delivered - Kasuga had patrolled behind the group to ensure that they weren't being followed.

_'Everyone is thirsty, and definitely hungry. Hungry men are grouchy men… I know that we women can function without food but these generals… we're lucky that there haven't been any fights yet but if we don't find anything to eat soon I'm sure some of them will lash out at one another,'_ she shook her head to dispel any following bad thoughts. The only thing that could make this night any worse then it already was, was if soldiers from the Beast army appeared in the woods. Matsu shook her head more, trying to dispel the thoughts.

_'And if it starts raining... several of us could get sick, then what do we do? Ah, Matsu, stop thinking...'_ she stroked the Predator's head. Everyone was quiet, not even talking to those closest to them. Kasuga came stumbling out of the woods, setting her hand on Keiji's shoulder.

"B-bad news," she started, dropping down to one knee. All eyes snapped onto her, awaiting her report, "we need to get out of this clearing. There's a very large... squad heading this direction. Several of their soldiers already disappeared so I'm sure those are shinobi but we – we need to hide."

The entire group scattered, rushing behind trees and anything else they could find. Kasuga, Sasuke and Kotaro concealed themselves in the trees above. Matsu's heart beat frantically, her fingers shakily stroking the Predator.

Nobunaga had effectively hidden himself in a bush, though a part of his cape was sticking out. Nou hime peeked out from her spot behind a tree near him and quickly dropped to the ground, shoving his cape under the bush. There was a rustle and then silence.

_'Oichi-sama's over skirt -! Ah, she's holding them...'_ Matsu breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. Kojyuro was standing in front of Oichi – one of his arms braced against the tree - while she hugged her over skirt tails to herself, her body shaking lightly. Masamune was holding Itsuki in his arms, his helmet no where to be seen. Motonari had also removed his helmet and had clasped his hands together in front of his body, in hopes that the armor on his arms would not be visible. Shingen's helmet too, was missing – Matsu guessed that they must have tossed their helmets into nearby bushes.

Above her Matsu heard rustling; it was Kotaro. He was making gestures to Sasuke and suddenly he jerked behind the tree. Matsu straightened sharply, her hand grabbing Toshiie's. He gave her hand a squeeze and Matsu noticed that her sudden movement had alerted everyone else; Kojyuro had been startled a little closer to Oichi, and Mitsuhide was oddly defending Ranmaru, his arm hovering slightly in front of the boy.

Matsu was sure she heard soft footsteps in the clearing behind them. Her heart would not stop pounding as the footsteps drew closer. Her grip on Toshiie's hand tightened, though there was nothing he could do to calm her.

Whoever was in the clearing stopped. Matsu's lips quivered, _'if we're discovered...'_

The footsteps started again but more cautiously, and to Matsu's horror a tall blonde haired man wearing dark gray light-weight armor stepped out right next to her, his eyes focused on the trees.

_'Oh... oh Kami oh...'_ she couldn't stop herself from staring at him in fear, nor could she stop her Predator from growling. Immediately his eyes snapped down to her and she jumped – red was not a natural color for eyes.

Slowly his eyes scanned around the area, taking note of everyone that was there. Matsu's Predator jumped off her shoulder and started squealing, rolling around in front of the man and charging at him, baring its teeth. Matsu reached for it, _'no, come back!'_

She was stopped by Toshiie who whispered to her frantically, "Matsu, he's trying to protect you!"

The man reached over his shoulder to draw his blade when suddenly a multitude of Predator's came running out of the woods, all of them squealing and screaming, several bounding over to Matsu's Predator. The man hesitated, then dropped his arm and turned on his heel, walking away as the Predators continued to roll and scream.

_'They're playing,'_ Matsu realized, _'they didn't even acknowledge that man.'_

In the distance Matsu could make out a loud voice, "did you find anything, assassin?"

"Nothing, Commander, just a group of playful Predators."

Matsu's eyes widened in surprise and seeing the movements of the others around her let her know that she wasn't the only one. Several generals mouthed the word "what?" while Nobunaga poked his head out from the bush, his expression tight. Nobody moved until Kotaro, Sasuke and Kasuga came down from the trees, giving the signal that it was all right for them to move from their places – the Predators scampered away, having finished their playing.

"An assassin?"

"Is it just me or did that guy lie to his Commander?"

"Holy crap did you see that armor? I wouldn't want to deal with those guys!"

Matsu couldn't distinguish between who was saying what. She just knelt down in front of the Predator and he gurgled up at her, looking quite pleased with himself. Matsu scooped him up and gave him a hug.

"Thank you. You saved us."

The generals mumbled their thanks as well, and the group continued to move forward after helmets had been found and put in their proper places. The air around the group was very tense, Matsu noticing that several of the men had their hands hovering over their weapons. Oichi was sticking close to Kojyuro while staring at Itsuki – _'or more precisely, the fact that Itsuki is holding Masamune-dono's hand. But that's understandable; she's scared,'_ Matsu could see the young girl's shoulders shaking, her knuckles white from grasping Masamune's hand so tightly.

"Itsuki, you're gonna' break my hand..." he muttered; the girl simply moved closer to him.

Behind Matsu she heard Nobunaga and Shingen talking. It sounded like their voices were getting further away and so Matsu stopped walking and turned to see that Nobunaga was sitting on the ground and Shingen had his axe drawn, like he was going to strike Nobunaga down. She couldn't stop herself from calling out.

"Shingen-kou, what are you doing!"

Her cry got the rest of the group's attention and a scuffle broke out very quickly. Nobunaga sighed, bringing his hand up to his face.

"Everybody calm down or I'll shoot you all," he ordered, glaring at the group. Matsu looked behind her and almost laughed. Everyone was stuck in frozen positions, Motochika with his arm wrapped around Motonari's neck, Keiji with his arms coiled around Nou hime to hold her arms down while Kojyuro had both Mitsuhide and Ranmaru in a headlock. The captors slowly released their captives, though Motonari hit Motochika on the head, causing the pirate to mutter something about getting caught up in the moment.

"The spikes on my armor will be a nuisance if I have to keep hiding in bushes."

"Ha ha, that's true, Demon King. It's pretty funny thinkin' about you all hunched up in a bush," Motochika commented, eliciting several snickers out of the group. Nobunaga rolled his eyes and Shingen brought down his axe, easily cleaving through the armor. As Nobunaga stood Shingen bent to pick up the spikes; he tossed them into the nearby bushes.

"I believe it would be wise to move quickly. No doubt that squad may have heard that," Shingen said, shouldering his axe. The group moved as one through the trees, avoiding anything on the ground as best they could, the shinobi once again taking to the trees.

"The forest ends up ahead," Sasuke commented. Kasuga dropped down in front of the group and stuck out her hand. Everybody came to a stop behind her.

"What is it, Kasuga?" Kenshin asked. She slowly stood.

"... it's too quiet."

Kotaro and Sasuke dropped down from the trees as well, expressions thoughtful. All three shinobi were listening in on the surroundings. Matsu nervously stroked the Predator, who was also strangely quiet.

A branch snapped, and the Predator jumped up on Matsu's shoulder, shrieking at the top of its lungs. Several of the general's complained, and though Matsu tried to calm the red Beast it wouldn't stop shrieking.

_'What's he so upset for? What is he so... upset...'_ when she looked at her Predator she noticed that he wasn't just shrieking for no reason, but that he was looking up at something. She followed his line of sight.

"... In-Inuchiyo-sama..." she took a slight step back, "I – I think it would be wise to look _up_."

Judging from the variety of curses that rose up from the group Matsu knew they had all looked, and now saw who she saw.

The man was hovering – somehow – in midair, staring down at them, his eyes dark charcoal. Jagged black hair sat on his head, of a reasonable length. His armor was like that of the assassin they had seen earlier, intricate etchings throughout the dark gray. It was a full suit, leaving every part of his body except for his face protected.

"It would seem as though I was lied to," he said, loud enough to be heard by the group, "don't bother trying to lie; you have a rather energetic Predator with you. Herd of Predator's indeed..."

_'This is... that assassin... his Commander?'_ Matsu couldn't help shaking in fear. The man dropped down to the ground in front of them, and to Matsu's shock the entire group moved back. She could have sworn some of the generals were shaking in their armor.

The man stood from his crouched position, tipping his head back as if he were looking down on them.

"They call me Earthshaker," he informed them, the ground under his feet beginning to crack.

"_Run for it!"_ the shout came from Ieyasu and Matsu found herself following his order. Toshiie had grabbed her hand and the Predator was clinging to her back, though he had stopped his screaming.

_'This is bad, this is very bad!'_ Matsu thought as she and Toshiie dodged around cracks in the ground, the earth shaking, _'to make matters worse, that Commander's entire squad is following us!'_

A glance to her right only served to fill her with more fear. If the Commander was terrifying then his squad was even more-so. A handful of the soldiers were wearing heavy armor – in the same dark gray color with similar etches – with large shoulder pads and two-handed weapons. She couldn't begin to imagine how strong they must be, considering they were keeping up with the rest of the squad, who were clearly more lightly armored.

"You think you can escape me?" Matsu heard Earthshaker shout from behind them. Suddenly the ground began to split, startling most of the generals ahead. They stopped moving, looking around. Half of them couldn't even speak.

The ground underneath Kojyuro flashed, and he shoved Ichi – who was with him – towards Masamune right before the ground he was standing on shot into the air, him on top.

"Kojyuro!" Masamune had finally found his voice; Ichi had knocked the wind out of him when she collided with his chest. Another pillar of earth shot up, this time with Sasuke on top, while another pillar burst from the earth right next to Toshiie. In his effort to get away he fell to the ground, pulling Matsu down with him. The Predator went into a defensive posture in front of them, back arched like a cat when angry. He made a gurgling-growl sound in the back of his throat.

When Matsu recovered from being knocked down, she looked around, worried.

_'Kojyuro-dono and Sasuke are on pillars. There are five pillars, and the ground between them is rumbling as if something were waiting to pop up... !'_ she jumped to her feet, noticing that Mitsunari was heading towards one of the open spaces between the pillars.

"Mitsunari-dono, no!" she screamed and he skidded to a halt before springing backwards, a spike shooting out of the ground from the open space. He cringed, and landed flat on his back. Matsu's heart was pounding in her chest.

"A good observation," she turned around to give the Commander her best glare. He was holding an assassin by his neck; it was the assassin that had reported back to him about finding a group of playful Predators. Matsu's Predator continued to growl. The Commander looked at the assassin.

"You know what the Beast army does to liars."

"He didn't lie!" Ieyasu called out; Matsu looked back at him as he continued, his expression one of shocked anger, "there really was a group of Predators!"

"Oh? So now you're trying to defend him?" Matsu turned her attention back to the Commander in time to see the assassin nod his head, as if thanking Ieyasu for attempting to defend him as a spike of rock came out of the ground and impaled him.

"Worthless. The Beast army kills anyone who makes incomplete reports. Now," the Commander began to walk forward, "I suppose some of you will be worth taking with us."

From above, Matsu heard the sound of lightning. She thought she heard Kojyuro say something before a funnel of lightning careened down from the pillar he was standing on.

The Commander leapt to the side, his eyes wide with shock. The lightning missed him by an inch and as he rolled on the ground Matsu found herself being pulled away by Toshiie.

"Quickly, while the ground isn't rumbling!" Hideyoshi ordered. Sasuke had joined the group but Kojyuro was still on a pillar, looking for a way to get down.

_'But he's up so – ah, Kotaro!'_ the skilled shinobi had used his feather dispersing ability to appear next to Kojyuro, and soon the two of them rejoined the group. Ichi – much to Matsu's surprise – immediately returned to his side, clinging to his overcoat sleeve while whispering, "Katakura-sama, Katakura-sama". He stroked her head once, offering her a small smile for comfort before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

"Here, here!" Motochika gestured to everyone and they skidded behind a huge boulder.

"... okay, maybe choosing a huge boulder to hide behind was the dumbest choice we could make, but there's no way we're just gonna' get away from that guy!" Motochika exclaimed at Hanbei's unimpressed expression. The effeminate man then spoke.

"Too true. But I find that..." Hanbei swallowed and glanced at Hideyoshi before continuing, "I find that I can't help being afraid when I look at him. He's powerful enough to make the earth split and change without even moving his hands, or saying anything."

"The name Earthshaker fits him very well," Shingen commented, breathing heavily. He wasn't the only one taking heavy breaths. The slower ones in the group looked tired as well – _'not to mention we have no water, and haven't eaten for a while,'_ Matsu recalled.

"... I get the feeling he's trying to separate us," Kojyuro muttered. The group looked at him, confused.

"If he's already gotten two of us on pillars, I can only think that he wasn't aiming randomly. That, and the pillars all together made a pentagon shape, meant to trap everybody else inside."

"Wait, Katakura-no-danna, are you saying that those of us on the pillars were the ones he thought of as being of worth?" Sasuke interrupted, his eyebrows narrowed and eyes wide. Kojyuro stared at the ground for a moment then looked up at Sasuke. His expression betrayed his answer and Matsu could see that this did not bode well with Sasuke.

"B – but you and I were the only ones on those pillars!"

"I know, Sarutobi," Kojyuro stood and peered over the rock, "it looks as though he is unimpressed, but at the moment he isn't moving," he focused his green eyes on Masamune, then looked at Sasuke, "we should go on our own way."

"What? Katakura-dono, you can't be serious!" Yukimura exclaimed, almost jumping to his feet; Shingen held him down. Matsu bit her lip.

_'Judging from his expression, he's dead serious. But if he and Sasuke get separated from us... we may never see them again,'_ Sasuke had walked over to Kojyuro and the two were talking in low voices. After a tense moment, Sasuke sighed.

"Oyakata-sama... if that Commander thinks we're of worth then... we can act as decoys and lead him away. The rest of you should move on to find the Snake army."

Yukimura protested the most, while Masamune just stayed quiet, eye fixed on the ground. Matsu couldn't help setting her hand on his shoulder; he looked up at her.

"Is that all right with you, Masamune-dono?" she asked tentatively. He blinked twice then sighed.

"It's all right. If it's what he's decided, then, I won't hold him back. He _is_ my strategist, after all."

"But he's also your right eye," Matsu reminded him, lifting her hand off his shoulder. He glared at the ground, muttering under his breath, "I know..."

_'Of course he doesn't want to risk losing him... Kojyuro-dono has been by his side since he was young...'_ she glanced at Kojyuro, taking note that Sasuke was now on the taller man's left, peering over the rock, _'Kojyuro-dono probably raised Masamune-dono...'_

"Sasuke."

"Hai, Oyakata-sama?" both Sasuke and Kojyuro were looking at Shingen, who was beginning to stand. Everyone else followed suit, Matsu stretching.

"You can depart from us. I believe it is the wisest choice," Shingen brought his fist down on Yukimura's head before the young general could protest loudly, "Dokuganryuu? Only if you're sure..."

"... get lost, old man," he said, raising his head and smirking at Kojyuro; but Matsu saw the pain in his eye when he turned away after Kojyuro had given him a slight bow. She frowned, nudging Itsuki with her elbow. The young girl looked up at her.

_'Go comfort him,'_ Matsu thought, but as to not alarm Masamune she simply nodded at him. Itsuki walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist; he snorted and patted her on the head. Matsu breathed in relief.

"What's that Commander up to?" Motonari asked, eyes on Sasuke. Sasuke shrugged.

"He still hasn't moved... anyway, Katakura-no-danna and I will head off now. You guys run right to those trees. And don't look back," he added, his dull green eyes honing in on Yukimura. Yukimura opened his mouth but then closed it, and looked down, his bangs obscuring his face. Matsu couldn't help walking over to him and giving him a small hug while Kasuga approached Sasuke.

"... I'm coming with you," Kasuga stated, standing in front of Sasuke. He narrowed his eyes.

"No, Kasuga, you stay with the group."

She shook her head, "I'm coming with you."

Sasuke placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, "you stay. That Commander sees Katakura-no-danna and I as useful, so if he _does_ catch us then he might kill you."

Again, Kasuga shook her head; Matsu was sure they were now having a glaring contest.

"Kasuga..."

"She can go with you if she wants," Kenshin piped up, smiling at Kasuga when she looked back at him. She blushed.

"Kenshin-sama..."

"Kenshin-kou, you can't be serious!" Sasuke protested, "if Kasuga comes with us then-!"

Kojyuro grabbed the two shinobi under one arm each and lurched forward. A slab of rock careened by where Kasuga had been standing. The wind that it brought with it sent a wave of sand over the generals standing on the opposite side of it. Everyone raised their arms to guard their eyes.

"K-Kojyuro!" Masamune yelled; the young general looked frantic. Yukimura almost ran by Matsu but she quickly wrapped an arm around his waist to stop him; Toshiie and Keiji helped her hold him back. Kenshin was frozen in place.

"We're fine, just go! _Go!_" Kojyuro's voice was loud over the clattering sound of armor – _'they're coming!'_ Matsu and Toshiie struggled to drag Yukimura away while Nobunaga had no difficulties yanking Masamune along by his overcoat collar.

_'Nobunaga-sama is choking him! But then again, it's not like he cares...'_ Matsu bit her lip, tempted to look back over her shoulder. The sound of the Beast army squad was drifting further away as they pushed forward through the trees. It wasn't until Shingen had to stop to catch his breath that the group slowed down, several generals sprawling out on the forest floor.

Matsu sat down against a tree, pulling Yukimura down to sit next to her; she refused to let go of his arm.

_'I'll hold onto him, just in case he tries to run back and find Sasuke,'_ she tightened her grip on his arm when he tried to move away from her. She closed her eyes briefly, her mouth dry, _'if only we could find a river...'_ she opened her eyes when she heard gurgling in her ear; Matsu fixed her eyes on her Predator.

He stared up at her, black eyes curious. Matsu raised a hand and set it against the side of his amphibious face.

"Could you see if you can find water?" she asked him. He gurgled, jumped into the air and then sped off, making a clicking sound as he went. Matsu leaned back against the tree, her eyes drifting over the generals sprawled on the ground. Their chests were all rising and falling. Tsuruhime was on Ieyasu's back and Itsuki was lying on top of Masamune.

_'He must have grabbed her at some point... Oichi-sama kept up with us very well,'_ Matsu gazed up at the beautiful woman, and her eyebrows drew back. Oichi was staring in the direction they had come from, her expression one of sadness. She had her hands clasped over her heart, her lips parted – out of the group she was one of the only ones standing.

_'She must be worried about Kojyuro-dono... he _did _take it upon himself to look after her, after all...'_

"We should leave this area. Who knows when Earthshaker will come looking for us. Just because Katakura deduced that Earthshaker only sees him and Sarutobi as useful doesn't mean that he will give up in his pursuit of us," the suggestion came from Hideyoshi. The group sat up, stretching slightly before everyone eventually rose to their feet.

"I'd have to agree," Shingen wheezed. Matsu set a worried gaze on him and released Yukimura; now that the young tiger was worried about his lord, he would forget Sasuke – for the time being. Matsu saw the Predator come hurtling back, something akin to a smile on his wide mouth.

"What is it? Did you find water?" she asked him as he spiraled up her legs and torso before stopping on her shoulder. He bobbed his head up and down, gurgling, and raised one of his front legs, pointing in the direction he had come. Kotaro darted off before anyone could move, and seconds later he returned, gesturing frantically.

"Looks like that little Beast is worth more then it looks," Mitsunari commented. He looked up at Hideyoshi.

"To the water then."

The pool that the Predator had found also had a small waterfall trickling into it. There was no accurate way of telling if the water was safe, but Matsu decided that the group had made the decision to trust her Predator's tasting abilities; he was drinking the water enthusiastically and staring at everyone else.

To Matsu's surprise Mitsunari stepped back and gestured towards the pool, muttering, "ladies first."

She tentatively walked forward with Magoichi, and when Mitsunari looked away the two women quickly had a drink. It was only when Matsu finished drinking that her Predator returned to her side.

_'At least no one is pushing anyone in... at least they're all being mature...'_ her gaze settled on Oichi, who was standing next to a tree with her head bowed. She hadn't even approached the water yet. Ieyasu walked into Matsu's line of sight, and after hesitating momentarily he proceeded towards Ichi. Matsu wasn't sure what he had said to her but whatever it was that he said, he convinced her to come have a drink.

When Nobunaga looked up through the trees and began to walk away, the whole group followed silently after him. By the time night fell the group had settled themselves inside a medium sized cave, just large enough to fit all of them. It was very cramped.

"Uh... perhaps to save space, you ladies could make beds out of some of us?" Mitsunari said, scratching the back of his head. Nou Hime was already curled up against her husband's chest, and Matsu had taken her place next to Toshiie; she moved onto his lap and Keiji shuffled closer to his uncle, giving Motochika – who was next to him – more space.

Itsuki had claimed Masamune as her "bed" and Magoichi plopped down on the unsuspecting Mitsunari.

"Don't give me that face, you suggested it," she informed him while he stared at her, jaw dropped open. Oichi glanced around until Ieyasu gestured to her.

"Since the Dokuganryuu is taken you can have me," he winked at her. A faint blush came to her cheeks as she walked towards him.

"Ichi does not know if this is the kind of wording Ieyasu-sama should be using," she said softly as she settled on his lap. He laughed lightly and Masamune growled.

_'Oh dear,'_ Matsu thought when Ieyasu looked up at Masamune and grinned.

"What, Dokuganryuu? Jealous?"

Masamune's eyebrow twitched and he growled back through clenched teeth, "I am not jealous."

"Yes you are," Ieyasu insisted. Masamune breathed deeply and turned his head away.

"I am not, so shut up."

Ieyasu snickered behind his hand, several other members in the group smiling. Tsuruhime cautiously approached Kotaro – Matsu was sure he sighed lightly before outstretching his arms towards her. She giddily curled up in his arms.

_'Morning come fast and Kami keep us safe till then,'_ Matsu prayed, closing her eyes and falling into an uneasy sleep.

When she awoke the next morning she was being carried by Toshiie. She immediately rubbed her eyes and forced her body to wake up.

"Inuchiyo-sama, you can put me down."

"Ah, Matsu! All right, hang on..." he stopped walking and set her down, "half of the group woke up while the other half was still sleeping. Mostly everyone is awake now though," he explained, smiling. Matsu smiled back at him, her eyes sweeping over the group. She stifled her giggle at seeing Hideyoshi with Magoichi draped over one shoulder and Mitsunari draped over the other, both of them still asleep by the looks of it – _'no way would Mitsunari-dono just let Hideyoshi-dono carry him like that!'_

It was around noon when the entire group was fully awake; Shingen had sent off Kotaro with Matsu's Predator to see if they could scout out something to eat. When Kotaro returned with a deer over his shoulders and water in his helmet, the entire group was shocked.

After dropping the deer on the ground the shinobi wrote in the dust – now that they didn't have Sasuke, he had to manually report to them.

"Oh I see. You didn't want it to leave. All right; let's get to chopping this up shall we?" Toshiie sat down and accepted a kunai from Kotaro. He made a small flame in his hand and held the weapon over it for a few seconds, then proceeded to begin gutting the deer while Keiji did his best to skin it.

Soon the group had a fire going and Matsu was cooking the deer while the Predator and the girls passed out some wild berries. Matsu served Kotaro first, as he was their scout.

_'I can only imagine how hungry everyone is... we haven't eaten for a day. I hope Kojyuro-dono and the other two shinobi are all right...'_ she bit her lip, glancing at first Masamune then Yukimura – Kenshin was staring off into space; clearly he missed Kasuga's presence.

Masamune was brooding, nibbling on the piece of deer he had been given while Itsuki toyed with his helmet, setting the object on her head. It easily covered her eyes. Yukimura was still worried about Shingen and the possibility of him not being able to keep up with them – _'thankfully,'_ Matsu thought. She sought out Ichi next and found her standing near no one, her back to Matsu.

_'I suppose she misses Kojyuro-dono already...'_ Matsu realized, frowning, her eyes flicking once again to Masamune, _'I hope he might take up the role, but he has to look after Itsuki... perhaps Ieyasu-dono will take her under his wing.'_

Matsu knew she was pitying the petite woman a bit too much, but she couldn't help being worried about her. Oichi looked so lost most of the time, _'and at least with Kojyuro-dono there, she didn't look so lost.'_

Kotaro was busily feeding bits and pieces of his food with the Predator, who happily gobbled up the tidbits. Matsu couldn't help smiling. When Kotaro finished his meal, he jumped over to Shingen, wrote in the dust, then departed.

"Going to scout again," Shingen muttered, loud enough for the group to hear. With the deer now completely eaten and everyone mostly full, Keiji and Motochika set about to digging a hole in the ground.

"We should hide any evidence of us being here," Motochika explained when Matsu gave him a quizzical look. Her mouth dropped open in an "o" and she gathered up any bones she could find, setting them near the hole. Once it was done being dug, Keiji pushed all the bones in, and before they covered the bones he and Motochika put out what was left of the fire and swept the burned branches towards the hole as well. They just finished burying the bones and branches when Kotaro came soaring out of the trees, backwards, his short swords drawn.

He was followed almost immediately by an assassin, and the unsuspecting man was shot down by Nobunaga. Everyone froze in shock when the assassin rolled to his feet, clutching his shoulder. He then sprang back, snarling something under his breath and disappeared into the trees.

_'I never knew Nobunaga-sama was so quick at drawing his gun,'_ Matsu blinked.

"That would be our cue to leave," he ordered loudly, turning on his heel and running. The group surged forward with him, running into the open space; they had to cross it to get to the next bunch of woods.

Matsu wasn't sure what happened in the next few moments. She was first grabbed by Ieyasu and tossed into the air, then Motochika caught her and fled. All around her people were yelling, but she couldn't make out what they were saying, as the sound of rumbling earth drowned out the sound of their voices. Two walls of rock slammed together and she gasped loudly; what if someone had been in-between those rocks?

"Masamune! Catch!" she heard Ieyasu yell and then she saw Ichi go flying over her head. Matsu turned her head to follow Ichi's descent her eyes wide when she saw no one there to catch her. To her relief Masamune sprinted forwards and dove to catch the frail woman; he landed on his back in the process.

"Holy -!" Motochika tightened his grip on Matsu and leapt to the side; as he passed Ranmaru he reached down to grab the boy, prompting Matsu to latch onto his neck and anchor with all her might. The earth finally stopped rumbling, a variety of voices calling out "is everyone all right?" and "is anybody hurt?"

Ichi scrambled off of Masamune, apologizing a mile a minute. He sat up in a daze and placed his hand on her face.

"Stop... apologizing. You're making me dizzy."

"I-Ichi is sorry."

Masamune sighed, a smile on his face when he looked at her, "you just can't not apologize, can you?"

Oichi didn't respond to him, and instead looked at the ground.

"Oyakata-sama? _Oyakata-sama!_" the frantic shouting came from Yukimura. Matsu searched for him with her eyes while Motochika apologized to Ranmaru for yanking on his hair. The boy simply nodded at him, muttering that if Motochika hadn't grabbed his hair, he probably would have fallen in the huge crack in the ground.

Matsu departed from Motochika's side to grab Yukimura, as he was running around in a blind rage trying to find Shingen.

"Yukimura-dono, get a hold of yourself! Yukimura-dono!" she shook him until he looked at her, brown eyes wide and fearful.

"It's going to be all right," she told him softly, hugging him again. He nodded vigorously against her shoulder and she released him, squinting to see if she could see past the dust. Everyone on her side of the huge crack in the ground moved towards one another and slowly Matsu's eyes widened with fear.

_'Oh no... oh no...'_

On the other side of the crack, now separated from them, stood the four strongest generals the group had.

* * *

I previously misspelled Motochika's last name... and at the moment I am confused about Motonari and Ranmaru's last name, so bear with me please if I got it wrong; I will correct it in later chapters as soon as my surrogate Japanese daughter emails me back (she already corrected me about Motochika's last name lol).

The "four strongest generals" are pretty much a given, at least one of them anyway, with the way Yukimura was spazzing out.


	3. Chapter 3

My apologies. This chapter is considerably shorter then the first two. This is what I get for attempting to write Hanbei's POV, and more or less failing miserably at it. I will not attempt this again (sorry Hanbei fans :( )

As for names, they should be fixed for this chapter. Motonari is now properly referred to as Mouri (Mori being the spelling for Ranmaru's name), Motochika's last name should also be fixed. Honorifics are still probably being used incorrectly, but I blame Hanbei and the fact that he doesn't interact with everyone in the game/anime/mange so I have NO idea how he would refer to several of the characters - though just assuming he would call Shingen, Nobunaga and Kenshin something like "-kun" Dx. And, for my personal benefit, I have decided to spell Nou hime's name as Nouhime, just because that's easier. That said, enjoy.

**

* * *

Chapter 3: Separation.**

When the dust had completely settled, it became obvious that there was no way the majority of the group would be able to regroup with the four generals on the other side of the crevice.

_'This is... unacceptable! To be separated from Hideyoshi _and_ Shingen-kou, Kenshin-kou and Nobunaga-kou...'_ Hanbei furrowed his brow, eyes flicking in the direction of Matsu. She was hugging Yukimura.

Hanbei sighed, pressing his palm to his forehead. Mitsunari walked up to stand beside him.

"Hanbei-sama, what's wrong?" Mitsunari inquired, his hand clenched tightly around his sheathe. A quick look around the group let Hanbei know that everyone was on their guard, hands on their weapons. The Predator was standing sentry on Toshiie's shoulder, growling softly at the Commander hovering in the sky above. The Earthshaker's squad was no where to be seen; this left Hanbei confused.

"First, we lose Katakura-kun, Sarutobi-kun and Kasuga-chan. Now we've been separated from the strongest generals among us. This is not going in our favour," Hanbei replied to Mitsunari's question, mulling over why the Earthshaker's squad was not with him. Hanbei raised his gaze to the Commander, taking note of his stance, his arms outstretched in front of him as if he were holding something open. His expression was one of concentrated anger.

_'Perhaps we've outrun his squad? No... that seems unlikely. Maybe it's because he hasn't ordered them to attack, and they're hiding in the trees... but why isn't the Commander himself attacking? While we're in this state, we would be easy to kill,'_ Hanbei's thoughts were disrupted by an argument in front of him. He looked up, seeing that Mitsunari was attempting to leap over the crevice only to have Ieyasu hold him back.

"Mitsunari, you can't go!" Ieyasu protested, ducking to avoid being hit by Mitsunari's fist.

"Let go, Ieyasu! I have enough power to easily clear the crevice!"

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Ieyasu retorted, jerking Mitsunari back; the argument got the attention of the other generals, "in case you've forgotten, that guy's name is Earthshaker. What if he makes those stone pillars burst out of the ground again? Or those rock spikes? How can you dodge that in midair?"

The demand made Mitsunari growl; he stalked back to Hanbei's side, grip on his sword even tighter then ever. Hanbei silently wished someone would do something about all the tension.

"Yukimura!" everyone raised their heads to look at Shingen. Hanbei watched as Yukimura ran up to the edge of the crevice, the only thing that kept him from attempting to jump over it himself being Keiji.

"Yes, Oyakata-sama?" Yukimura was eager to know what Shingen was going to tell him.

"You should leave this place. All of you, while the Earthshaker is doing nothing and his squad is no where in sight. Continue to Oshuu!"

"But, Oyakata-sama -"

"Don't argue, brat," Nobunaga butted in on the conversation, "the Earthshaker is immobile; flee while you can. I'm sure we are capable of taking care of our selves," and to enforce his point, Nobunaga drew his shotgun, firing repetitively at the Earthshaker. The man cringed, turning his head every now and again to avoid getting hit in the head, but otherwise he did not move from his spot, nor did he change his stance.

Hanbei furrowed his brow as the generals on his side began to slowly move away, Keiji and Motochika both grabbing one of Yukimura's arms and dragging him along against his will.

_'Why isn't the Earthshaker moving? Obviously his armour is durable, but he should be more then capable of dodging everything – could it be?'_ Hanbei glanced at the crevice, _'could it be that he's immobile because he's keeping that crevice open?'_

He had no time to think more on the subject, as suddenly the generals on his side began to run, Mitsunari grabbing his arm and pulling him along; Ieyasu fell in step on his other side. As Yukimura was proving to be difficult, Keiji took his weapons and Motochika slung him over his shoulder; the distressed young general called out to Shingen several times. Hanbei looked over his shoulder to see Hideyoshi send a pulse of light through the air, causing the Earthshaker to falter. Hanbei could have sworn he heard the Earthshaker yell something before the sound of rock slamming against each other was heard, the noise and the dust drowning out everything else.

_'Hideyoshi...'_ Hanbei bit his lip, focusing on the task at hand. Since Kojyuro and Sasuke were no longer with the group, he had the burden of being the strategist, along with Motonari – though Hanbei doubted the green clad general cared about anyone else other then himself.

_'First, we need to stop and talk to one another. Sanada-kun is clearly in distress about leaving Shingen-kou behind, and I'm sure Nouhime-dono is worried about her husband...'_ Hanbei squinted, looking to see who was at the head of their group.

Masamune's jagged overcoat fluttered behind him as he ran, one hand grasping Oichi's wrist while the other held Itsuki's hand. Hanbei set his hand on Ieyasu's shoulder.

"Yes, Hanbei-sama?"

"Can you run ahead and ask Masamune-kun to stop, Ieyasu-kun? Our group needs to... strategize," Hanbei ordered him. Ieyasu nodded his head and sprinted to catch up with Masamune. The two had a brief conversation before Masamune tossed his head to look over his shoulder at the group, his pace slowing.

"Oi, guys! Let's stop for a minute!"

Hanbei breathed a sigh of relief when everyone slowed down, refraining from complaining for the time being. Some members of their group looked to appreciate the stop. Toshiie sat down, rubbing his shoulder.

"Man, that Predator sure has a tight grip..."

"Ah, he just didn't want to fall off, Inuchiyo-sama," Matsu said, affectionately stroking the Predator's head. Hanbei approached her and crouched down in front of her, eyes intent on the Predator. It looked up at him, black eyes unblinking.

"Do you think you can find out where the Earthshaker's squad is?" he asked it. It nodded its head vigorously, tail wagging. Hanbei smiled, "can you go look then, and report back to Matsu-dono?"

Again, it nodded its head and bounded off. Black and white clad legs appeared in Hanbei's peripheral vision and Hanbei rose to look at Kotaro. The shinobi stood there, silent.

"If you would go look as well? But be careful... you're the only shinobi in our group now."

Kotaro nodded his head once and dispersed into a flurry of black feathers. Hanbei turned to the group, seeing that several of the generals were now sitting down. Everyone was quiet, and Hanbei quickly observed them.

_'It would be best to make sure Oichi-chan and Itsuki-chan stay with Masamune-kun... though I doubt I would be able to separate them from him either way. Ranmaru-kun should most definitely stay with Mitsuhide-kun and Nouhime-dono. Motonari-kun... is better off alone,'_ Hanbei sighed lightly, placing his hands on his hips, _'Magoichi-chan... will probably stick to herself, but maybe she'll travel with the Maeda family... as for Mitsunari-kun and Ieyasu-kun, I should keep them with me,'_ Hanbei's gaze rested on Motochika, who was wearing a very irritated expression and holding onto Yukimura's ponytail, preventing the young general from going back to the crevice. Tsuruhime was standing next to Yoshitsugu, who had been oddly silent the entire time.

_'As for Chousukabe-kun, Sanada-kun, Tsuruhime-chan and Yoshitsugu-kun... not sure what to do about those four...'_ he cleared his throat, getting the attention of the group and sitting down. Kotaro returned, resting on one knee beside Hanbei. He quickly wrote in the dirt, explaining that he hadn't been able to find anything, then asking if the Predator had returned yet.

"No, the Predator hasn't returned. Thank you, Kotaro-kun. Well," Hanbei looked around, seeing that all eyes were trained on him, "we have been forced into an interesting predicament. Hopefully we'll be able to get along for the time being."

The generals nodded their heads, Itsuki opting to crawl onto Masamune's lap and making him complain lightly.

"We've had to leave four of our strongest behind. As it is, we should continue to search for the Snake army however... it is difficult to figure out what our position is."

"That's true. If only we knew where we were... I don't recognize this area. The trees are different," Motonari added, picking up a leaf, "when we were in our Japan, the leaves on the trees were still green, and it wasn't so cold."

"When we get closer to Oshuu, it'll get even colder, you see?" Masamune informed them, leaning back against his hands, "so we have to pay attention to the temperature around here."

Everyone nodded their heads, and Hanbei looked at Matsu.

"Our first day here you mentioned that it was spring when we were in our Japan, and yet here, in this Japan, it's fall. Why did you point that out?"

"Because, Hanbei-dono, if you think about it, that Creator we ran into said that the Rifter could traverse realities. What if, in the midst of traversing said realities, it also traversed time? Even _if_ this is a different Japan from our Japan, the seasons would be the same, wouldn't they?"

Hanbei's eyes widened, "so you're suggesting that the Rifter may have... gone forward in time?"

"It's just a suggestion. But yes, that's what I believe," she turned her head to the left; the Predator had returned with a stick in its mouth.

"Why do you – eh, what are you doing?" Matsu asked it when it ran towards the dust that Kotaro had written in. It smoothed its amphibious hands over his writing, erasing it, then it began to draw. Hanbei stared.

_'This Beast is far more intelligent then I give it credit for. But what is it drawing?'_

Keiji approached then, dropping to his hands and knees. Yumekichi – Hanbei wasn't sure how the monkey had managed to stay with Keiji the entire time – leapt off his shoulder and followed the Predator around as it drew. When it finished, Hanbei had no idea what to make of the picture. Keiji scratched the back of his head and the other generals gathered at different points, curious.

"Well, let's see. This looks like... the place we just came from..."

"Then this bunch is where we currently are," Motonari stated, looking at the Predator to see it nodding its head.

"So this massive... what is that?" Keiji asked. Masamune smirked.

"A jellyfish!"

The group laughed, and Keiji nodded, "right, this jellyfish... is that the squad?"

Again the Predator nodded, then acquired a worried expression, its pitch black eyes narrowing back. Kotaro left the group.

_'I should tell them then, that we should stick with people we trust,'_ he turned to the group, "before Kotaro-kun returns, I should inform you that it would be wise to stay with the people we trust, for the most part."

Masamune sighed, but didn't complain. Hanbei waited impatiently for Kotaro's return while the people behind him separated off into smaller groups. Ieyasu and Mitsunari stood on either side of Hanbei, and then – to Hanbei's surprise – Yukimura stood uneasily next to Mitsunari. Hanbei glanced at him and felt a pang of sympathy.

_'Poor Sanada-kun. He looks so lost without Shingen-kou. But maybe this will be a good learning experience for him,'_ Hanbei decided, then snapped his head to the trees when he saw a black and white blur. Kotaro pointed energetically behind Hanbei, then raced behind the group.

"We follow him," Motonari ordered before anyone else could speak, and quickly the group merged and moved as one.

_'Though I would prefer to give the orders myself, it's better if we refrain from arguing amongst ourselves,' _Hanbei knew that the idea of who gave orders would be difficult to solve with so many generals. There were too many of them for all of them to be happy following another – that, and there was always the possibility of the one designated to be "in charge" was one that several other generals may dislike.

_'None of us can win in a situation like this... we're forced to work together...' _he sighed lightly. They ran for quite some distance before Hanbei had to stop; his lungs were burning.

Masamune was clearly unimpressed, his arms crossed over his chest with his head cocked to the side. Hanbei glanced up; he knew why he was unimpressed.

_'Even Oichi is keeping up with him. And even if that was because Masamune-kun is dragging her along, still... I never thought she was one who could run for so long,'_ he coughed, straightening. Ieyasu gave him a pat on the back.

"Gonna' be all right, Hanbei-sama?"

"Yes, now we should continue," he furrowed his brow, looking for Kotaro, "though it would seem our shinobi has gone off to scout."

Hanbei glanced at Masamune again, noticing that the general was taking a deep breath.

_'He's refraining from saying anything,'_ Hanbei changed his gaze to Mitsunari, _'I guess you're the reason why.'_

"Mitsunari-kun, if you would be so kind as to stop being so hostile to our allies?"

Hanbei smirked when all the other generals looked at him; of course he would get their attention if he mentioned them being allies. Mitsunari bowed slightly to him.

"Ah, hai, Hanbei-sama."

Ieyasu wandered over to Oichi, which earned him a glare from Masamune. Hanbei stared when Ieyasu smiled.

"No need to get overprotective, Dokuganryuu. I just want to see how she's doing."

"You can see how she's doing from a distance, idiot."

The growled response made Ieyasu bite his lip, like he was refraining from laughing. Motochika chuckled.

"Oi, oi, oi! What's this? Ryuu-no-nii-san doesn't like Ieyasu getting close to his mate?"

"_Mate?_ The hell – Chousokabe!" Masamune lunged at the pirate general, and they got into a scuffle, Motochika easily keeping Masamune at bay with his longer arms. Ichi had raised her hands to cover her lips in response, her eyes wide.

"Ieyasu-sama, what did Chousukabe-sama mean by Ichi being Dokuganryuu's mate?" she asked the man next to her.

Before Ieyasu could respond Masamune dashed back over to her, cheeks red, "nothing, it means nothing! You see?" then he grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the group, fuming, Itsuki trailing after him. Hanbei couldn't help laughing behind his hand.

A black feather floated into Hanbei's view and he looked up to see Kotaro standing in the trees directly behind him. Matsu stood beneath the branch he was on, her arms outstretched. The Predator appeared on Kotaro's shoulder and jumped down, landing perfectly in her arms. Matsu looked up at Kotaro.

"Well? Do we need to continue forward or has the squad given up in looking for us... for the moment?" she added after glancing over her shoulder at Hanbei. He was glad the woman wasn't entirely against taking silent orders from him.

_'Toshiie-kun's wife is most reasonable. A great woman to have... though I wonder how Hideyoshi is faring,'_ he shook his head from side-to-side, _'ah, why should I even worry? Hideyoshi is strong enough to take on the Earthshaker. That, and he _is_ with Nobunaga-kou, Shingen-kou and Kenshin-kou. There is no way one Commander could defeat them all.'_

Kotaro leapt down from the tree, proceeding to write in the dirt. All the generals – except for Masamune, who was still fuming a distance away with Ichi by his side – gathered around to see what Kotaro had written.

"So they're waiting for their Commander... I seriously wish we knew where we were," Keiji sighed, scratching the back of his head and frowning, "and I find it hard to believe this Snake army is here."

"Then, Keiji-dono, what army did those two shinobi belong to?" Yukimura piped up. Hanbei looked at him.

"Two shinobi?"

"Ah, hai..." Yukimura looked away and Motochika picked up the conversation.

"Oh, that's a good point, Sanada. After our first night here, me and Dokuganryuu encountered some shinobi, with Matsu too," he tilted his head to the side, "the boy was dressed in some pale green outfit, and his companion was wearing black with a freaking... chain mail scarf or something. Anyway, I can't remember them exactly but they weren't wearing armour like what the Beast army is wearing."

"Hm... so there is a high chance those two are from the Snake army then. Intriguing, intriguing..." Yoshitsugu was speaking mostly to himself then anyone else. Hanbei shook his head at the man.

_'Thinking to himself and already wondering how he could use the Snake army to his advantage... that man. Never gives up on wishing pain to the world.'_

Kotaro began to push some generals towards Masamune, confusing them. The shinobi's permanent frown deepened, and he tried to push Motochika forward.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You want us to keep going, right?"

Kotaro nodded his head vigorously. The Predator gurgled and took his place as sentry on Toshiie's shoulder. The group moved quickly towards Masamune while he stared at him, then he too turned and continued heading in a Northern direction, pulling Ichi and Itsuki along with him.

When the group stopped again it was because Hanbei started coughing violently. He leaned against a nearby tree, his back to the group.

_'Mitsunari-kun and Ieyasu-kun know to keep their distance but the others... don't come close... none of you can know of my sickness,'_ he heard footsteps shuffling through leaves and panicked.

"Hanbei-dono?" the voice belonged to Yukimura, "are you all right?"

A smile came over Hanbei's lips at the sound of worry in Yukimura's voice, "I'll be all right, Sanada-kun. I just need to rest."

"... if you need to rest, Hanbei-dono, it would be best if you sat down, don't you think?" Matsu spoke up. Hanbei lifted his head so she knew he had heard her.

_'Sitting down... the idea is tempting. I suppose at this one moment I'm glad Hideyoshi isn't with us. It would be embarrassing if he saw me like this,'_ he slowly sat on the forest floor, leaning his head against the trunk of the tree. Some members in the group were talking in low voices amongst themselves. Hanbei closed his eyes, focusing on breathing slowly.

It wasn't long before a hand rested on his back. At first he thought that the group was going to move out again but the hand moved up to the back of his neck, and down to the middle of his spine. The action was repeated.

_'Must be Matsu-dono,_' he turned his head slightly to see that it was indeed Matsu who had crouched down behind him, rubbing her hand over his back. She gave him a smile and Hanbei noticed that Toshiie was no where in sight.

"Where did Toshiie-kun go?" he asked. Matsu tilted her head to the side.

"I guess you must have fallen asleep. Inuchiyo-sama went with Kotaro and the Predator to find something to eat. Everyone here decided it would be best to take a break."

"I see," Hanbei bit his lip, _'I fell asleep? How preposterous... at least Hideyoshi isn't here...'_

"All right you guys, we caught some birds. Now if Sanada-dono and Chousokabe-dono would be so kind as to fry them for us..." Toshiie returned with several birds in his hands, as did Kotaro. The Predator had one in its mouth that it quickly began to devour.

"And he won't be needing you to fry his," Toshiie adding, making several in the group laugh. While Motochika and Yukimura cooked the birds to the best of their ability, Hanbei observed the rest of the group.

Mitsunari and Ieyasu were quietly sitting nearby, both with their eyes closed but clearly not asleep. Masamune, Itsuki and Oichi were sleeping, Masamune's helmet in Itsuki's hands. His head rested against the top of Oichi's, and both girls were leaning heavily against his sides.

Motonari was having a conversation of some kind with Yoshitsugu, and Tsuruhime wandered over to Yukimura, watching him intensely as he cooked the birds. Hanbei couldn't resist smiling when he noticed that Yukimura was getting nervous about her being so close to him. Magoichi had her hand on Keiji's face, preventing him from talking to her – but Hanbei didn't miss the fact that she was trying not to smile at Keiji's attempts to flirt with her.

_'As for the rest of Nobunaga-kou's group...'_ Hanbei's eyes drifted over to Mitsuhide. He stared in shock. The long-haired man had his arm around Nouhime, whom was asleep next to him. Ranmaru was also asleep, his head in Nouhime's lap. Mitsuhide's expression as he watched Nouhime was one Hanbei had not expected to see on the crazy man's face; he looked far too gentle and caring. Hanbei's staring caused Mitsuhide to look up, and the gentle expression was immediately replaced by a crazed grin. Hanbei quickly looked away.

The birds were cut up by Kotaro and passed out by Matsu, Tsuruhime and Magoichi as they were the only girls awake. Matsu woke up Masamune, Oichi and Itsuki while Mitsuhide woke up his two companions. The birds were eaten in semi-silence, and when the meal was done, Hanbei coughed lightly.

"We should find a place to rest. The sky is growing dark," he bit his lip to prevent himself from worrying about Hideyoshi.

"Good idea, Takenaka. We really should find a place to rest... and away from that damn squad too," Masamune said, leaning his head back against the tree, "I doubt they've given up on finding us yet."

"There are some mountains in that direction; if we're lucky we'll find some caves," Motochika suggested, pointing slightly behind him in a north-east direction. Motonari glared at him and Hanbei suppressed a sigh.

"And your suggestion, Motonari-kun?" he asked before the green clad general could argue with Motochika. Before Motonari could reply Toshiie spoke up.

"When Kotaro and I were looking for birds, the Predator ended up leading us along a river bank. We would have caught some fish but we didn't have the net with us. There wasn't really any place to rest though..." he admitted, scratching the back of his head. Several members of the group looked interested in going towards the river – Hanbei was sure this was because, though no one had mentioned it, they hadn't bathed for about a week already. It the Earthshaker's squad couldn't find them by sight then they could probably find the group by smell.

"The choice is entirely up to personal preference," Mitsunari piped in, "I'm sure some of us would like to go to the river, while it's obvious that some of us want to proceed forwards to find the Snake army," he turned to Hanbei, "maybe it would be best if we split up here."

"No," Hanbei replied sharply, making Mitsunari falter, "we cannot by any means split up. We have to rely on each other, as much as most of us will dislike the idea... but we can't afford to be separated anymore then we already are," Hanbei let the group think about this as he himself thought, _'for all we know Katakura-kun and the two shinobi with him are dead. Hideyoshi and the other three could be dead as well... no, no Hideyoshi can't be dead. Definitely not Hideyoshi.'_

"Then I propose we go to the river," Motonari finally said, looking around the group. Motochika snorted and Hanbei dreaded an argument.

"Is there something wrong with that, Chousokabe?"

"Not really, Mouri. It's just bothersome how you're talking like you're the one in charge," there was an initial staring contest between the two rivals. Keiji tried to mediate between the two.

"Come on guys, we really don't need to argue about this..." a glare from Motonari quickly made Keiji back off, though he still looked worriedly between the two. Motochika waved a hand at Motonari.

"Eh, it's fine. We all know that you really want to go to the river so you can wash off; the smell must be getting to you."

The comment made Motonari stand and stalk towards Motochika.

_'Oh he just _had_ to say that didn't he,'_ Hanbei wanted to slap the both of them over their heads, but that might make matters worse, _'please no one else join in. Please.'_

Thankfully, everybody looked much more interested in staying out of the argument. Hanbei didn't like how loud they were being, over going towards the river or towards the mountains no less, but Motonari made a very good point.

"If we go to the river at the very _least_ we'll have food! If there is a river there are usually fish; in the mountains, animals have more places to hide. Getting to the Snake army is priority for safety, yes, but staying alive so we can find them is more important, is it not?"

Hanbei was hoping that would end the argument – because for Kami's sake Motonari had a very good point – but Motochika was not someone who liked to lose. Matsu must have sensed the impending fight, because she suddenly stood and hit Motochika on the head with the butt of her javelin.

"Ow!"

"Don't make me hit you too," she hissed at Motonari when he looked like he was going to jeer at Motochika, "because you _know_ I'll be more vicious with the likes of you."

Motonari backed off as Matsu walked to stand by Motochika's side; he was rubbing his head, glaring at her with a pout on his lips. Hanbei's lips quirked up in a smile, _'interesting.'_

"Did you have to hit me that hard?" he complained and she grabbed his ear, yanking him down to her height. The group snickered.

"Chousokabe-dono, Mouri-dono made a very good point," she released his ear, "however, I think the decision should rest with Masamune-dono," when Motonari made to argue she raised her javelin blade first and threatened to hit him with it. Toshiie quickly intervened while Motonari jumped back.

"Matsu!"

"Masamune-dono should be the one to choose because he is the general of Oshuu, and Oshuu is where we are trying to go because _that_ is where the Snake army is located," she explained further, still poised to strike Motonari; Toshiie had a firm grip on her weapon to prevent her from doing so. Hanbei looked at Masamune to see he was glaring up at the sky.

"So, the final choice rests with me?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the sky. Hanbei furrowed his brow and answered the general's question.

"I will say yes."

"You really like watching us argue, don't you, Earthshaker?" he growled. Several people gasped, all heads turning to look up at the sky; Motochika took a defensive stance in front of Matsu and Toshiie.

"I find it highly amusing. All I have to do is wait till two of you start arguing, then you give away your position yourself."

He left them no time to think and raised both his arms into the air, bringing them down. His pose suggested that he had a broadsword in his hands, and he was smashing it against the ground so hard that it elevated him – though he was in the air while doing this action. The earth split, Motochika turning and grabbing Matsu while Toshiie pushed her towards the pirate general and leapt to the other side.

Mitsunari had grabbed Hanbei and dashed to the right, Ieyasu and Yukimura following. Yoshitsugu had gone to the left, floating near Masamune who had his arms wrapped around Ichi and Itsuki; the young girl had coiled her arms around his thigh tightly.

"_Shoumei: Kiseki!*_" he said, making Hanbei stare up at him. At certain points under people the earth rumbled; several members of the group stumbled. Hanbei was glad that Mitsunari had such a strong grip on his arm. If not for that the two of them would have been separated.

"_Sousa: Sekichuu!*"_ this made matters increasingly worse; pillars shot out from under them, where the ground had been rumbling, leaving certain people on the ground. Ieyasu and Motochika were running around in a frenzy, Yoshitsugu keeping Matsu back. Mitsuhide had effectively avoided the pillar that should have had him on top, Nouhime clinging desperately to his arm.

"If it could have been avoided, I would have preferred to have you on the ground," Earthshaker said, his gaze focused on Masamune. The young general snarled at him and pushed Itsuki off the pillar.

"Catch her, Ieyasu!" he yelled, trying to get Ichi off the pillar as well; she refused to release him. Hanbei suddenly found himself being held above Mitsunari's head.

"M-Mitsunari-kun?" he exclaimed, looking down at the man. His eyes widened, _'is that... a stone clasp?'_

"Ieyasu!" Mitsunari yelled, dropping Hanbei behind him. Hanbei couldn't see what the Earthshaker was doing, but whatever it was it wasn't good. Ieyasu caught Hanbei easily, setting him on his feet.

"Hanbei-sama, what do we do?"

"I have no idea..." Hanbei watched in horror as Tsuruhime was suddenly launched off her pillar. With her fell Oichi.

"Yoshitsugu-kun!" he yelled frantically as Ichi grabbed Tsuruhime and changed their positioning so that she would hit the ground first. The floating man rushed towards them, Motochika alongside him. Hanbei dashed around the pillar Mitsunari was on and saw that Masamune was on the Earthshaker's back, trying to break his neck – _'so that's why Oichi-chan and Tsuruhime-chan suddenly fell.'_

"This is exactly why I – would have preferred you stay on the ground, you, _dragon_!" the Earthshaker managed to grab a hold of Masamune and hurled him towards the ground, close to Mitsunari's pillar. Hanbei watched in surprise as Mitsunari used the fact that he was clamped to his pillar to his advantage, and grabbed Masamune's leg; Mitsunari's face contorted with pain and Masamune was bashed against the pillar.

"Shit! Let go, Ishida!"

"If that's what you desire," Mitsunari released Masamune. The general of Oshuu didn't need anyone to catch him, and he landed expertly on the ground himself. Itsuki dashed over to him.

"M-Masamune!"

"Stay back, Itsuki! You don't even have your weapon with you. Oi, Takenaka! Make yourself useful will you?" Masamune demanded, glaring over his shoulder at Hanbei. Hanbei glared back, _'and just what do you expect me – wait.'_

He touched a hand to his weapon, _'I could probably... yes, I need to ground the Earthshaker,'_ Hanbei unsheathed his blade, running up to stand next to Masamune; the Earthshaker was glaring at them, and he lowered his pillars, deciding against having them in the air. Everyone else who was originally in the sky was now on the ground again, and Ranmaru dashed back over to Nouhime and Mitsuhide.

_'It is unfortunate that Mitsuhide is without weapons...'_ Hanbei grit his teeth as the Earthshaker prepared to do something else, _'what I don't understand is why he isn't with his squad. Is he really so powerful that he doesn't need them?'_

"Mitsuhide-kun, please lend me your strength!" Hanbei requested as he pulled back his arm and whipped his blade towards the Earthshaker, causing it to disengage and become a whip itself. The Earthshaker's eyes widened considerably as the whip coiled around his body, binding his arms to his sides. Mitsuhide grabbed part of the wire in his hands, pulling mightily. Motochika also joined in, and then Masamune and Yukimura; Ieyasu grasped the hilt with Hanbei while Matsu and Toshiie worked to free Mitsunari from the clamps that were still covering his feet. Yoshitsugu stayed back with Oichi and Tsuruhime. The Earthshaker was doing a good job at resisting their pull, for the time being.

"I'm at the ready, Hanbei-san," the floating man informed him. Hanbei nodded.

"Everyone, pull at the same time, on my count!" he yelled and the generals all grunted in acknowledgement of this.

"One!"

"Who would have thought..."

"Two!"

"That you possessed something like a whip-blade," the Earthshaker commented, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Three!" everyone that was grasping Hanbei's whip jumped backwards, fell over each other and tripped in order to bring the Earthshaker smashing down to the ground. It was at that moment that Kotaro came flying through the woods, and quickly he jumped away from the Earthshaker as Hanbei disengaged his weapon and Yoshitsugu's orbs funnelled down into the ground, causing decent explosions.

Matsu and Toshiie had finally freed Mitsunari who rushed to Hanbei's side, then decided to yank several of the generals still on the ground to their feet.

Hanbei turned to Kotaro, "report, as quickly as possible, shinobi! Where's his squad?"

Kotaro gestured towards the woods, then ducked as a sword went soaring over his head.

"Commander!" the rough voice made Hanbei sweat.

_'Oh this is not good,'_ he looked up, seeing the Earthshaker's squad was now lining the trees, _'oh this is not good, not good at all...'_

To Hanbei's dismay the Earthshaker was uneffected by Yoshitsugu's attack; one of his assassin's had thrown himself over him, protecting him from the blows.

_'No... that assassin is a woman!'_ the Earthshaker looked up at them, rage evident in his eyes; there was blood streaming from the assassin's mouth, her face contorted in pain. Yoshitsugu's orbs had blown off her helmet and some parts of her armor.

"You will pay for this!" the roar made Hanbei turn tail and run; he assumed that everyone else was following him.

"_Sousa: Futami kiretsu!*"_

The group's attempt to escape was futile. Dust was everywhere, several screams heard and when Hanbei regained his senses he could see that the entire group had been separated, some on elevated land others on a small island of it.

_'What... what happened? How...'_ Hanbei furrowed his brows. They had been separated into quite odd groups. Motochika was with Matsu, Nouhime and Mitsuhide. Motonari was on the same small island as Keiji, Toshiie and Magoichi.

As for Masamune, he was oddly with Ranmaru, Oichi and Yoshitsugu.

_'Then Itsuki-chan is – with me!'_ Hanbei stared at her and she stared at him. The longer he stared the more uncomfortable he made her, so she quickly spoke.

"Well it – it was either ya get crushed or ah save ya, s-so ah saved ya," and she looked away from him. Hanbei blinked then sat up and rested a hand on her head.

"I see. You have my thanks."

She looked back at him, a light red dusting her cheeks. Hanbei smiled at her then looked around at his group, seeing that Tsuruhime was being hugged quite tightly by Yukimura, whose eyes were wide with fright. Ieyasu and Mitsunari were standing uneasily side by side until Kotaro dropped in front of them.

"It looks like the Earthshaker has inadvertently blocked his view of us," Ieyasu commented, eyeing the huge stone wall that had shot up between them and the Earthshaker, "uh, maybe we should re-group?"

"No," the comment came from Masamune. Yukimura realized that he was still clinging to Tsuruhime so he released her in a hurry and dashed in the direction of his rival. The young girl was left standing there, cheeks bright red – _'Sanada-kun must have grabbed her in the confusion.'_

"But, Masamune-dono -!"

"Sanada Yukimura, listen up. That Earthshaker isn't going to give up in his pursuit of us. And since he's here, you can only guess what happened to those old men. Don't give me that face, you idiot!" Masamune snapped, making Yukimura falter, "right now it's just us, and these are our groups. We _have_ to split up, you see? We have to get away from that guy and we have to do that in the groups we are now, got it? Don't argue! You have to be a general now, and if you aren't one now, then you never will be, damn it!"

Yukimura's head drooped as Masamune set his gaze on Hanbei, prompting him to stand and brush of his pants.

"Yes, Masamune-kun?"

"My group will go this way," he jerked his arm up and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Hanbei nodded.

"Then mine will head towards the river, since we are closest," Motonari added, picking up on what Masamune was doing. Hanbei nodded at him as well.

"Our group will go towards the river as well, but back the way we came. If we can regroup, we will, but Masamune-kun is right. Since we've been forced to split up, it is best we stay apart," Hanbei looked at Motochika, "Chousokabe-kun?"

"Uh, right, we'll go this way. Uh..." the pirate looked between Matsu and Toshiie; Motonari was already heading off. Toshiie was torn between following Motonari and trying to get over the large crack that separated him from Matsu.

"... Chousokabe-dono, please take care of Matsu," he finally decided, and hurriedly followed Motonari. Matsu reached towards her husband, but recoiled immediately, staying by Motochika's side.

"All right, see you guys with at the Snake army's city then," Masamune gave a salute style wave and grabbed Ichi, pulling her along with Yoshitsugu and Ranmaru trailing after him. Motochika then dashed off with his group.

Hanbei lead his group in the general direction of the river, following after Kotaro as the shinobi stayed ahead of them. In the distance Hanbei heard the Earthshaker yelling angrily.

"Find them! Find those pests! They'll pay for what they did to that which is _mine_!"

* * *

(A/N) Earthshaker is pissed. Which means one of the groups is in BIG FACKING TROUBLE. As for my starred parts:

*Shoumei: Kiseki = Manifest: Foundation Stone (this is pre-Sousa: Sekichuu, and **must** be done in order to use Sousa: Sekichuu).

*Sousa: Sekichuu = Manipulate: Stone Pillar

*Sousa: Futami kiretsu = Manipulate: Forked fissure (high level Manipulate for Earth).

For your information, I don't really care if these are incorrect. I'm using a website called Suteki to find the closest matches I can for what I want. Manifest and Manipulate (Shoumei and Sousa respectively) are different forms of using one's element, and the Earthshaker's element is (kinda obviously) earth. If you want a more in-depth explanation on how Manipulation and Manifest works with the elements, you will have to wait for about three more chapters, I think. I have my OCs explain it to Basara family, so that Basara family can begin training in using Manifest and Manipulate. So please, be patient.


	4. Chapter 4

Kojyuro's point of view.

Timeline: about five hours after being pursued by Earthshaker in chapter 2.

A/N: Kojyuro, you are SO DIFFICULT to write. Please become easier to write, and quickly. Also, no, they are not acting OOC; at least, this is how I think they act in my eyes. Yes, Kasuga and Sasuke DO have issues with each other. Bear with me until I get to Kasuga's POV; will probably not have a chapter from Sasuke's POV. I kind of failed in having Kojyuro be constantly worrying about Masamune (and Oichi and Itsuki) but that's because there were more important things then that going on in this chapter.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year.

**

* * *

Chapter4: Desperation.**

"That was really smart, Katakura-no-danna. Jumping into that river, I mean," Sasuke's voice was soft when he spoke. Kojyuro looked up at the shinobi, taking note of the fact that Kasuga was asleep, her head resting in his lap. The man was brushing her bangs to the side affectionately.

_'Doesn't seem like he wishes to wake her,'_ Kojyuro glanced up at the nearby tree branches, _'and our clothes still aren't dry...'_

After the three of them had gotten out of the water they had taken off most of their clothing, save for their pants. Kasuga had refused to take off any of her clothes until about two hours ago, when Kojyuro found that his overcoat was dry – it had been lying on a rock in the sun for quite some time. She was now curled up in it, sound asleep.

Kojyuro leaned his head back against the tree he was sitting in front of, "it was instinct, Sarutobi. And it was the only way we could lose Earthshaker and keep her alive."

Sasuke solemnly nodded his head. While they had been escaping, Kasuga had almost been crushed twice; Kojyuro was thankful she was a shinobi. He didn't have to worry about her not being able to dodge.

_'She did an excellent job at that too. If only I knew how Masamune-sama and Oichi were... and Itsuki. I would feel most at ease,'_ he frowned. He was sure Masamune would be fine, but he couldn't help worrying his adoptive son would make reckless choices. If Oichi fainted it would be bad for the entire group and Itsuki was without her weapon. Kojyuro sighed.

_'I'm not doing myself any good worrying about them. I should keep my focus on myself, Kasuga and Sarutobi. If I lose this focus, I won't be doing any of us a favour.'_

For the time being the three of them had nothing to worry about; it had been almost four hours since the Earthshaker had been in pursuit of them. Kojyuro hoped that by the time night fell their clothes would be dry; it wouldn't do them any good to wear wet clothes when night fell.

_'Especially for Kasuga,'_ he furrowed his brow, _'she hardly has anything on, even when she's wearing her leather suit.'_

He stared at the woman, wondering why she would choose such an outfit to wear. Kojyuro recalled her aggression towards him earlier, mostly about him referring to her as kunoichi. She had furiously informed him that her name was 'Kasuga' and that he either referred to her as that or she would ignore him – which she did, for forty five minutes until he gave in and called her by her name.

_'An interesting girl...' _he thought, gazing at her for a moment longer before lifting his eyes to the sky. It was steadily growing darker; he stood, making Sasuke jerk his head up.

"Katakura-no-danna?"

"I'll go look for a safer place to spend the night. You stay here with Kasuga," he informed the shinobi. Sasuke nodded his head, his stilled hand returning to stroking Kasuga's bangs. Kojyuro disguised a smile and set off, taking his swords with him. If he could find something to eat that would be good as well.

_'But if we're going to eat something we'll need to get wood... and we'll have to make a fire. Damn it...'_ Kojyuro furrowed his brow as he moved a branch out of his view. Making a fire meant there would be smoke, unless he or Sasuke found dry wood. Kojyuro feared that the smoke would give away their position.

He searched the area for the better half of the hour, and by the time he returned to where he had left the shinobi he was greeted by an amusing sight.

Sasuke was cowering on the ground, being bombarded by twigs and pine cones from above.

"Kasuga I'm sorry! But – but it's not my fault you fell asleep in my lap, all right?"

"Shut up, Sarutobi Sasuke!" the female screeched from above, launching another pine cone at him, "you were stroking me! _Stroking me!"_

"He was indeed. Now if you wouldn't mind simmering down, Kasuga, I would appreciate it. All your yelling might bring Earthshaker back," Kojyuro intervened before the woman's voice got louder. Her face reddened and she jumped down from the tree, Kojyuro's overcoat rising to reveal her toned legs and buttocks. Sasuke's eyes widened before he looked up at the sky. Kojyuro quirked an eyebrow at this as Kasuga gave Sasuke a death glare.

"So um, Katakura-no-danna! Have you found a place we can spend the night?" Sasuke quickly asked, eyes flicking in Kasuga's direction. Kojyuro sighed and set his swords down, once again taking his place in front of a nearby tree.

"As fate would have it, this is probably the best place for us to spend the night. There was no where else that I could find. If you wouldn't mind, Sarutobi, I believe you will be more successful in capturing the wildlife around here."

Sasuke gave Kojyuro a salute, grinning, "sure thing, Katakura-no-danna! I'll go see if I can't find us some food. Of course, I'd ask you to come, Kasuga, but I doubt you'll be able to do much if you have to hold onto his overcoat," Sasuke quickly snatched up his weapons and sprinted into the trees, snickering at Kasuga as she chased after him. Moments later she returned, her cheeks dusted with red.

"He's so annoying!" she hissed under her breath, settling down in front of the tree across from Kojyuro. They sat in silence for several minutes, Kojyuro observing her. His gaze didn't unsettle her, but he supposed that was only natural. They had worked together before; he was comfortable near her and she was comfortable near him.

"... Kenshin-sama..." he heard her mutter the name of her lord and couldn't resist smiling.

_'So much like myself. Worried about her lord. I can only pray they're all still together, in one group... if Earthshaker finds them...'_ Kojyuro shook his head, _'I shouldn't dwell on it,'_ he frowned. That was the second time he had to tell himself to worry about who he was with, not about who he wasn't with.

"Katakura-sama," Kasuga's voice roused Kojyuro from a light slumber. The sky was dark and Sasuke had still not returned. Kasuga was crouched in front of him; he shivered in the cold air.

"Hm?"

"Sasuke isn't back yet, and my suit is dry. Ah, here," she offered him his shirt, then set his overcoat over his legs. She was dressed already, "I'll go look for him. That idiot may have run into trouble."

Kojyuro grabbed her wrist before she could set off. Her hazel eyes stared at him in surprise.

"K-Katakura-sama?"

"Stay here, Kasuga. Sarutobi is a shinobi, like you. I'm sure he is more then capable of taking care of himself," he assured her. Kasuga pursed her lips then sat down next to him as he pulled on his clothes. His pants were still a bit damp but there was nothing he could do about that. He could feel Kasuga's warmth against his arm and when he looked to his left he saw that she would be huddled against him if she were closer. He furrowed his brow.

_'The fact that she's cold means that her suit isn't dry yet. Worried about Sarutobi but not willing to admit it, huh?'_ Kojyuro elbowed her lightly, making her look up at him.

"That suit isn't dry yet, is it?"

She opened her mouth but then averted her gaze, her mouth closing. Kojyuro raised an eyebrow, "so if my guess is correct, you were going to look for Sarutobi because you're worried about him, right?"

"That's not true!" she exclaimed, pouting up at him. Kojyuro suppressed a laugh.

"Kasuga, you aren't going to do yourself any good catching a cold. Sarutobi will come back unharmed, I'm sure of it. Now take that off and wait for it to completely dry."

She pouted but did as she was told, though Kojyuro was sure she took the suit off in front of him just to tease him back. He sighed, staring at her calves then staring at a nearby bush when she turned around and bent over to pick up the overcoat he hadn't put back on. She once again sat down next to him and cuddled in his overcoat.

After a moment Kojyuro spoke, "still cold?"

Kasuga was about to shake her head but she changed her mind and gave a small nod. Kojyuro looked up at the trees to see Sasuke's poncho and shirt still hanging on the branches. He looked back down at Kasuga.

"You could always wear Sarutobi's clothes. I'm sure he wouldn't mind at all," upon seeing her infuriated expression, complete with bright red cheeks, Kojyuro made a different offer, "or you could wear my shirt. I don't mind."

She bit her lip, glancing at him continuously.

"... may I?" she asked after a moment's hesitation. Kojyuro gave her a small smile and easily pulled his shirt over his head while she tugged his overcoat over her head and stuck her hand out. Kojyuro put his shirt in her hand and she pulled it under his overcoat. Moments later she re-emerged, his shirt now on. She glanced at him.

"But won't you get cold now?"

"I'll be fine, Kasuga," he informed her. She frowned at him and soon Kojyuro had her attempting to fit him under his overcoat with her.

"Kasuga – K-Kasuga, really, it's all right," he tried to convince her while she continued to try and fit him under the overcoat with her. She eventually succeeded when she moved in front of him and jerked him forwards, shoving his face into her chest so she could drape the overcoat on his shoulders.

_'... she smells nice,'_ he thought, wondering if he should lift his head. He ended up not needing to; her hands were placed on his shoulders and he was shoved back into an upright position. Kasuga cuddled against his chest, hiding her head under his chin.

"I take it you're quite cold then," he muttered. She bashed him on the chest with her fist, making him bite his cheek to hold back a laugh.

"Shut up!" she hissed but still snuggled against his chest. He would have looked down at her but with her head under his chin that was impossible. He frowned, leaning his head back.

"Why are you so adamant about Sarutobi? It's rather obvious that he -"

"I know that!" she interrupted, making Kojyuro frown again. After a moment of silence she repeated herself, "I know that..."

_'But you're too obsessed with your lord to give a damn,'_ Kojyuro would have said the thought out loud, but the thought applied to him as well, in a way. Masamune was young and rash, and if Kojyuro didn't give the boy his undivided attention he was bound to do something foolish. Kojyuor released a heavy sigh, closing his eyes.

"I suppose Sarutobi will be back in the morning. We should sleep. And by we I _do_ mean both of us, so no sneaking off in the middle of the night to go look for him," Kojyuro ordered, lifting one of his arms to rest it on her shoulder. He felt her shoulders rise and fall with a heavy breath before her head shook positively against his chest.

"I understand."

"Good," Kojyuro allowed himself to relax. Sleep came upon him very quickly, and when he awoke the next morning Sasuke had returned, just as he predicted. The shinobi was now fully dressed, having found his clothes dry. Kasuga's suit was spread out on a flat rock – Sasuke had probably moved it – next to the fire, and Kojyuro could faintly smell fish.

"Welcome back, Sarutobi. You had Kasuga worried," Kojyuro greeted. Sasuke straightened abruptly, then turned his head, his eyes slightly wide in surprise.

"Oh, Katakura-no-danna! You're awake," he glanced down at Kasuga, and Kojyuro blinked when he saw envy flash through Sasuke's eyes.

_'That would be my cue to wake her, I believe,'_ Kojyuro decided, giving her shoulder a shake. She blearily sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Sarutobi is back, Kasuga."

"He is!" she fixed her gaze on the green clad shinobi and crawled expertly towards him, though she gave Kojyuro a perfect view of her assets in the process. He lowered his head and covered his eyes with his hand, covering an embarrassed smile though the image was permanently burned into his mind.

_'She just doesn't really care, does she?'_ he wondered and when he raised his head he stared, eyes wide. She had placed both her hands on either side of Sasuke's thighs and was in his face; Kojyuro could see a faint blush on Sasuke's cheeks.

"Eh-etto, K-Kasuga -"

"So where exactly _did_ you go, Sasuke? You were gone the entire night! Being separated from us so long... I thought that maybe..." she sat back on her calves then, as a proper woman would, "I thought that..."

Kojyuro watched as Sasuke's eyebrows drew back and he straightened from his position, tentatively raising a hand to touch her cheek.

"I – I'm sorry, Kasuga. I didn't mean to worry you, but I got caught up in chasing a deer. A Beast caught it before I did though... then I followed the Beast to the river and fished. Ah, right speaking of the Beast," he pulled back his hand and scratched the back of his head, while Kasuga looked towards the fire. Kojyuro smiled, _'so they finally remembered I was here.'_

Sasuke turned to him, "there _are_ some Beasts in the area, and I remember that Creator told us that we should stay with them if we're given the chance."

"Since supposedly they don't like the Beast army, eh, Sarutobi," Kojyuro added, getting to his feet. Sasuke nodded his head as Kojyuro came over. He walked around the fire and inspected the dryness of Kasuga's suit. Apart from being dry it was also very warm, and Kojyuro turned to Kasuga.

"You can put this back on, Kasuga."

"You'll let me now?" she asked as she stood, pulling her arms inside Kojyuro's shirt. He nodded his head and glanced at Sasuke, seeing that the shinobi was giving him a confused expression.

"Uh, in explanation as to why she's wearing my shirt. She tried to go looking for you last night while her suit was still wet."

"He more or less forced me to stay with him," Kasuga added, stepping behind Kojyuro so she could change. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Says the girl who had to cuddle all night," Kojyuro retorted, looking over his shoulder at her. She pouted at him, pulling the rest of her suit up. She gave Kojyuro his shirt back and collected the rest of his armour and as Kojyuro finished situating his chest plate he noticed that Sasuke was looking between him and Kasuga with narrowed eyes.

_'... perhaps that wasn't the best choice,'_ Kojyuro realized, _'hopefully he won't think anything of it...'_ but Kojyuro knew that if Sasuke was infatuated with Kasuga as the man was letting on, then he wasn't about to wave off the interactions between Kojyuro and Kasuga.

After their fishy breakfast, the trio headed out, following Sasuke. Kojyuro thought it might be best if they went to the Beasts, just in case they could understand and speak Japanese. The three could ask for directions to the Snake army.

Once they reached the river, Sasuke came to a halt.

"It was around here... ah! There's one. Right there; it looks kind of canine, doesn't it?" he muttered, gesturing at the Beast that was lapping at the water. Kojyuro nodded his head, resting a hand on the hilt of his katana.

"I'll go see if I can talk to it. You two stay here," he ordered; the shinobi obeyed, hiding in the bushes.

Kojyuro approached the Beast cautiously, _'how can I get it's attention without scaring it into attacking me?'_ he looked down at the river bed, spotting a rock. He walked towards the rock and picked it up, then held it over the running water and dropped it. It made an audible splash and the Beast jerked its head up, bright blue eyes honing in on him.

_'That's odd,'_ Kojyuro thought, _'all the Beasts we've encountered so far have had red eyes, not blue... ah well,'_ he walked towards it and it dropped into a crouched position, its behind wagging as if it were about to pounce.

"I'm not here to play," Kojyuro said, keeping his eyes on the Beast. It snapped its jaws a little, then leapt across the river, landing right in front of Kojyuro. From behind him Kojyuro heard Sasuke say something to Kasuga; Kojyuro fanned out his hand in a 'halt' signal, then closed his hand. The Beast tilted its head at him.

"... no play?" it asked in a raspy voice, tossing its head. Kojyuro shook his head.

"No, I need directions."

"Directions?" it rolled onto its back, acting much like a dog and staring up at him. Kojyuro released a breath, trying to keep his patience.

"I was being pursued by the Beast army," mentioning the army made the Beast get up to its feet immediately, its eyes narrowed dangerously and teeth bared, "I need to know which way will lead me to the Snake army."

"Snake, yes, Snake. The Snakes will keep you safe, yes," the Beast looked over Kojyuro, "you two, come."

Kojyuro felt slightly unnerved, _'it's possible that the Beast knew they were here the whole time,'_ Kojyuro glanced to the side to see Kasuga and Sasuke standing next to him, Kasuga staying slightly behind him.

"Listen, careful," the Beast started drawing in the ground, "you need to go that way, away from the river. Maybe take you a week to reach Snake army. Always stay in the trees, never go into plain sight. Best sleeping in trees too, or in bushes, anywhere can hide, hide. Beware the Barren Lands, that is territory belonging to a tyrant. He has sons, many sons, nine I think," the Beast tilted its head and Kojyuro nodded.

"Continue. All three of us have good memories."

"Good. Hope that the docile sons are on patrol when you reach the Barren lands. From there should be safe, but still, beware. The Beast army known to cross that land at night, when the tyrant and his sons are tired and sleep. So Beast army still maybe find you," the Beast tilted its head to the other side, then headbutted Kojyuro gently in the chest.

"Thank you," Kojyuro said, patting the Beast on the forehead. It released a sound similar to a purring whine, then backed away.

"Let's move," Kojyuro ordered, leading the way across the river.

"Katakura-no-danna!"

"What, Sarutobi?"

"Kasuga and I will alternate scouting, so one of us will be with you at all times. I'll go ahead first!" Sasuke called as he raced through the trees above. Kojyuro nodded his head but sighed.

"The least he could do is wait for a response," he muttered, making Kasuga laugh lightly.

"Sorry, neither of us really do that."

"I did notice that with you. Yesterday."

"... be quiet!" she snapped at him, making Kojyuro smile. He felt somewhat relaxed around Kasuga. He didn't have to worry about her wandering off like he had to when Masamune was around; she stuck close to his side.

_'Though that could be more out of fear then anything else. Or maybe she just wants the companionship,'_ a small part of himself added that perhaps she felt the same way as he did, not needing to worry about the safety of her lord. But the thought of Masamune made Kojyuro worry.

_'Even though there's nothing I can do... not with us being separated from each other. For all I know they could think we're dead, especially if Earthshaker found them,'_ Kojyuro frowned, _'and then, what of Oichi? She always stayed by my side, attached to me almost. If she and Masamune-sama are separated then... that is not something I desire,'_ he looked up through the trees, wondering if there was any god listening. If there was a god listening, he hoped they heard him when he asked that Masamune and Oichi stick together at the very least; Masamune would keep her safe.

"Katakura-sama? What are you thinking about?" Kasuga's voice broke his thoughts. Kojyuro glanced at her, then looked ahead again.

"I... I'm worrying, like the old man I am."

"Katakura-sama isn't an old man," Kasuga complained, hopping over a tree root, "even if the Dokuganryuu says so, it's only because he's young and stupid."

Kojyuro couldn't help chuckling at that, "are you insulting my lord?"

Kasuga's face flushed, "what? No, I don't mean it to be an insult! I'm just saying..." she looked ahead, hazel eyes focused on the trees.

_'Awaiting Sasuke's return so she can go scout,'_ he ruffled her hair, making her whine, "well, I figured as much."

Before Kasuga could retort, Sasuke dropped down on Kojyuro's left. He shook his head when Kasuga made to go on.

"Wait a bit, Kasuga, then go. There's nothing up ahead so far; just trees for_ miles_. Far to the right there's mountains, but that's all. No sign of the Beast army."

Kojyuro nodded his head, and found himself very thankful to be with the two shinobi, _'saves me the strain.'_

Three hours later and the three stopped to rest; Kasuga happily bounded away at that point, eager to make herself useful Kojyuro assumed. He and Sasuke sat in a relative silence until the shinobi spoke.

"Kasuga seems to like you."

Kojyuro opened his eyes upon hearing that, "does she now?" he replied, "though it seems that way, it's not in the way you would think. But then again, I don't know her so well," Kojyuro tilted his head, "maybe I remind her of Uesugi? I know she reminds me of Masamune-sama," he chuckled, "perhaps she reminds you of Sanada?"

Sasuke smiled, his mood clearly changed, "not at all! It's because she's nothing like danna that she gets my attention."

"Nothing like him?" Kojyuro repeated, raising an eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

"Danna was – oh! Right, you never knew him when he was little," Sasuke scratched the back of his head, grinning broadly, "danna acted a lot like a girl when he was little, so I always found myself comparing how danna acted to how Kasuga acted. Not the best choice, but Kasuga always acted a lot more feminine."

"You've known her for a long time, haven't you?" Kojyuro probed, interested in their relationship. He wanted to know how long Sasuke had harboured feelings for the girl.

"We came from the same village, trained together, grew up together... spent a lot of time together. We're close in age... danna is actually quite a few years younger then I am. I didn't meet him until I was fifteen... but that's besides the point. Kasuga and I were together a lot, and since I was busy comparing how she acted to how danna acted, I got a little obsessed with her," he laughed nervously and looked to the side, "she worked for Kai until she was ordered to go assassinate Kenshin... but... she never came back after that.

"Of course I was surprised to see that she had joined him and... I was... hurt," Sasuke admitted, refusing to look at Kojyuro. Kojyuro shook his head slightly; the boy looked so vulnerable.

"So I kept on trying to get her attention by being annoying, telling danna that we were engaged... and so danna is convinced that she's in love with me but denies it out of embarrassment..."

"Oh? How interesting, Sarutobi. You lied to your own master, just to get the attention of the woman you like? Well? Did it work?"

"It did. Not in the way I wanted it to, but it worked," he shrugged, "I'll keep trying to get her attention until she notices me. Nothing will get in the way of that," Sasuke fixed a competitive gaze on Kojyuro. Kojyuro frowned.

_'It's not my intention to get in your way,'_ he wanted to say, but Kasuga had chosen that moment to return, so Kojyuro remained quiet and gave her his attention instead. She was facing him, her expression grim.

"I – I think we've come across the Barren Lands. If we're going to cross it's probably best to do it now... the sun is setting, after all. We don't know if the Beast army will attempt to cross this evening or not."

Kojyuro exchanged a look with Sasuke – the shinobi still had that competitive glint in his eye. Kojyuro released a heavy breath.

"Then let's go. Try not to run too fast for this old man, will you?" he added, smiling at the two shinobi. The glint left Sasuke's eyes and Kasuga smiled back at him.

"We'll try," she informed Kojyuro, leaping into the trees with Sasuke; Kojyuro stayed on the ground, keeping up with them as best he could.

_'Earlier they were just matching my pace. Now I have to match theirs,'_ he jumped over a large tree root, _'this will be a challenge.'_

The closer they got to the Barren Lands the more dead and decayed the trees became; they were still thick, but there were hardly any leaves on them. It was a very dull and gloomy forest; there weren't even any birds in the area.

_'Lots of insects though,'_ Kojyuro noticed, looking up at the multitude of dragonflies above them, _'dragonflies everywhere. And if they're swarming here, then there must be mosquitos.'_

Up ahead Kasuga slowed down and dropped down to Kojyuro's side. He halted immediately, looking around, hand on the hilt of his katana.

"What is it?"

"Sasuke saw someone, but they suddenly disappeared," she bit her lip, her hands brushing over her kunai. Kojyuro shuffled closer to her.

"Kasuga, stay close to me," he said, moving to stand in front of her. He only allowed himself to relax a moment when he felt her back against his. The air was very still.

"... did you see what this someone looked like?" he asked, eyes looking around for any sign of green.

"All I saw was that he had coal black hair and wielded a javelin. It... looked like a pretty dangerous javelin, almost like a lance... the spear head was so big. And his armor... he was wearing... well, rusty looking armor, orange-ish in hue... and brown. Really blended into his surroundings. We probably wouldn't have seen him if not for the glint in his armor and his hair -!" there was a loud slam, a billow of dust rising into the air. Kasuga was gone before Kojyuro could respond.

"Sasuke!" she was calling; Kojyuro quickly pursued her.

"Kasuga! Kasuga, come back!" he panicked, _'this isn't good. I suppose this person is a son! And not a docile one.'_

He followed after Kasuga's voice, almost diving into the smoke. He heard her coughing out Sasuke's name to his left and he reached for her -

A rush of wind passed in front of his face, then a powerful gust sent the dust away; it was all Kojyuro could do to stay on his feet. He squinted through his eyes as best as he could, seeing someone fifteen feet away rapidly spinning a pole-arm in one hand, holding someone in his other hand. He slammed the butt of his weapon into the ground, his stance powerful and authoritative; the dust funnelled into the sky, briefly creating a dust devil before dispersing.

His eyes shifted to the left and the right, bright orbs of yellow. Kojyuro looked down at who it was in his hands and saw Sasuke.

_'Just as I feared,'_ Kojyuro slowly lowered his arms. The man wasn't paying any attention to him; he was too busy looking for something. Quickly Kojyuro looked back down at Sasuke.

_'He's not bleeding... wait, does that mean that Sarutobi was attacked by someone else?'_ Kojyuro gasped lightly, _'Kasuga, where's Kasuga!'_

He turned frantically, and just in time too. Kasuga almost dashed past him, her eyes intent on Sasuke. Kojyuro managed to snag her around the waist and stop her from going towards the man.

"Katakura-sama let me go! Sasuke... _Sasuke_!" she screamed; the man looked at them, his yellow eyes vicious. Suddenly he started stalking towards them, dragging Sasuke along. Kojyuro tightened his right arm around Kasuga, though that kept her held against his katanas. He grit his teeth.

_'I'll have to fight him off with my left hand alone then,'_ Kojyuro realized. The man stopped three feet away and lifted his weapon.

"Do _not_ move," he growled, seconds before lurching forward and slamming into Kojyuro, his weapon going straight down behind him. Kojyuro tugged Kasuga more fully against his chest. Because the staff of the javelin was behind Kojyuro, he was kept standing by that, the man in a lunging stance on his left.

_'He must have rammed me with his shoulder,'_ Kojyuro realized, then blinked, _'he's... left handed...'_

A strange warmth began to gather around Kojyuro's feet and he looked down before stumbling forwards in surprise. Blood was pooling under him.

"It would appear as though I have found you, assassin. Not that you will respond to me at all," the man's voice was soft and sad-sounding, as if he were mourning. He raised his vicious yellow gaze to Kojyuro, "you must be a friend of this shinobi," he tossed Sasuke at Kojyuro's feet, "he is only unconscious and should awaken later."

Kojyuro nodded his head, releasing Kasuga so she could inspect Sasuke herself. The man then grasped his weapon by the staff, standing sideways in a stance that suggested he was preparing to attack.

"Now explain to me why you are in this territory. Failure to do so will result in your ultimate death."

Kojyuro grit his teeth again, stepping in front of the two shinobi and setting a hand on the hilt of his weapon.

"We're just passing through. The Beast army appears to still be in pursuit of us," the man's stance changed as he straightened slightly, his eyes narrowing. Kojyuro continued, "my name is Katakura Kojyuro. The three of us are seeking refuge with the Snake army."

"Seeking refuge..." he repeated, his stance breaking as he held his weapon in his left hand, his body now at ease, "so you are fleeing the Beast army."

"Yes," Kojyuro confirmed, clenching his left hand as he too straightened from his stance, "we were told to come this direction by a Beast... if that makes any sense."

The man simply stared at them until finally he spoke again, "my name is Zhy, the third son of Tyrant."

"... Tyrant?"

"Yes, the name of my father is Tyrant. The Beast army can hardly speak it without trembling in fear," Zhy tilted his head, "I suppose you could consider me one of the docile brothers... except towards the Beast army," he nudged the body of the assassin with the butt of his javelin, "we were told by our father to execute them on sight."

_'Execute? How... violent,'_ out loud Kojyuro asked, "so your father lives up with his name, then?"

"Daily," Zhy replied, shouldering his javelin, "since you do not pose a threat, and you are seeking refuge with the Snake army, I will let you proceed. I do not think you can fend me off."

"I doubt that I'll be able to," Kojyuro agreed, nodding at the javelin then looking down at Sasuke. Kasuga was cradling his head in her lap; clearly she was worried.

"Did you knock him out?"

"Accidentally, yes, but I was after the assassin. He had not been pursuing you; he was trying to escape," Zhy informed Kojyuro, "I believe he was attempting to leave with information about the Snake army."

"You're allies with the Snake army?" Kojyuro asked as he crouched down next to Kasuga.

"You could say that," Zhy replied turning around, "the only way you can get to the Snake army is by going through this territory. My younger brother Ouroborus is also on patrol. He definitely will not attack you. Especially since you do not dress in the manner of the Beast army."

"Thanks for the warning. We'll be on our way," Kojyuro bowed slightly, then returned to helping Kasuga lift Sasuke. It appeared as though he was coming to.

"Quickly, Kasuga. We should move to those rocks over there while Sarutobi gets his wits back."

"Ah, hai!" she shook her head slightly, clearly disguising her tears. Kojyuro frowned, _'she cares so much about him yet...'_

Kojyuro quickly gave Sasuke a firm shake, "Sarutobi, snap out of it. We have to at least get off Tyrant's territory before night fall."

Sasuke grunted and finally opened his eyes. He took a moment to gather his bearings, then looked behind him to see that Kasuga had him collected against her. They stared at each other for several heartbeats; Kojyuro simply watched.

_'For their sake... I won't say anything,'_ Kojyuro looked to the right and saw that Zhy was gone. Finally Kasuga reacted to the fact that Sasuke was now awake and knew she was supporting him – she quickly shoved him away.

"Aah-ah Kasuga!"

"N-n-n-n-n-nothing, it was nothing, doesn't mean anything!" she informed Sasuke frantically, "a-anyway I'll go ahead and scout. See you boys later!"

Before Kojyuro and Sasuke could argue with her she all but flew away, racing ahead across the Barren Lands. Sasuke and Kojyuro exchanged looks.

"You _did_ have her worried."

"Thanks for waking me up. Oh! Where's that -"

"He was the third son of Tyrant, the man who owns this territory. His name is Zhy, and he wasn't even after you to begin with," Kojyuro explained. Sasuke gaped at him.

"Now, we best follow after Kasuga."

"Yeah, we better. Please try to keep up, Katakura-no-danna."

"... you little bastard," Kojyuro growled when Sasuke raced ahead of him as well. Kojyuro couldn't be bothered to keep up with him, and about an hour later Kojyuro found Sasuke and Kasuga waiting for him at a large rock, obviously talking about something. The fact that Sasuke had her cornered worried him a little.

"Oi," he called, making Sasuke jump away from her. Kasuga appeared relieved at Kojyuro's arrival; the dragon sighed.

_'And apparently things are worse... oh well. It's none of my business either way.'_

"We should find a place to spend the night," Kojyuro told them, "preferably in a cave in the woods."

"I'll go find us something to eat."

"I'll come with you," Kasuga and Sasuke looked at each other after they had spoken, simultaneously, then looked away quickly. Kojyuro quirked an eyebrow at them.

_'Must have gotten into an argument,'_ Kojyuro shook his head, wondering at the two of them, "right then, Kasuga will come with me. Happy hunting Sarutobi."

Sasuke nodded his head and departed, but not after fixing a hard gaze on Kojyuro. Kojyuro felt the gaze until he was out of sight. He looked at Kasuga awkwardly.

"Would it be safe to assume that you two got into an argument?" he asked. Kasuga only vigorously nodded her head.

"All right then. Let's get started on finding that place to rest, shall we?" again Kasuga nodded her head, unwilling to speak. Kojyuro rolled his eyes and shook his head, then set out. After searching for nearly an hour he and Kasuga found a decent sized cave; Kojyuro was glad he had decided to ask Kasuga to make a path for Sasuke to follow. The shinobi arrived at the cave, dragging a deer.

"If you wouldn't mind helping me skin this one, Katakura-no-danna."

"Of course not," Kojyuro said, wondering why Sasuke would even bother asking. Of course Kojyuro would cook the deer, "let me handle this, you take a break."

"Where's Kasuga?" Sasuke asked, still standing. Kojyuro began to skin the deer.

"Kasuga went to get some water at a pool we passed on our way here," Kojyuro almost continued with saying that she was most likely taking a bath, but he smartly decided against that.

_'For all I know he'll go... and something less then pleasant will happen,'_ Kojyuro shook his head as he gutted the deer, _'it's at times like these I would rather worry about Masamune-sama...'_

Kasuga returned just Kojyuro was finishing off the deer. He nodded at her and she smiled at him, setting down the two flasks.

"I... I would have filled your flask, Sasuke, but you weren't -"

"It's fine, Kasuga. I can fill my flask myself and- is your hair wet?" he asked. Kasuga arched an eyebrow, glancing at Kojyuro. Kojyuro shrugged.

"I figured you wanted some privacy."

"I well – yes? Thank you... anyway, Sasuke, I... had a bit of a shower. I found some soap in my pouch. Oh! I saved some. Just in case you two would like to use the pool in the morning. There's a rather small waterfall over there; that's what I used to fill the flasks."

Sasuke and Kojyuro glanced at each other; the shinobi replied to her, "we just might, Kasuga. Thanks."

Kojyuro slept quite well that night. However, when he awoke in the morning he found Kasuga by his side, sound asleep. He quickly set to finding a way of disengaging from her without waking her, but that was a lost cause; the second he moved she jolted awake. He blinked at her.

"Good morning Kasuga," he whispered, unfazed. Light was shining brightly through the cave opening. Kasuga rolled away from him, bumping against the cave wall behind her. Kojyuro winced for her.

"G-good morning," she whispered back, her cheeks red, "sorry about the – the intrusion."

"It's all right. Just makes it obvious that you are a heat seeker, as Masamune-sama would put it."

"Heat seeker?" she repeated as Kojyuro sat up and stretched.

"Hn, someone who seeks heat. I'm surprised Sarutobi is still asleep," upon hearing Kasuga laugh nervously Kojyuro became suspicious.

_'Did they get into another argument while I was asleep? No, I would have woken up...'_ Kojyuro leaned in Kasuga's direction, eyes narrowed at her, _'or perhaps she had more then just soap in her pouch.'_

"Um, if you want to use that pool, here's the packet with the soap," she offered, her eyes averting to the left. Kojyuro decided not to pursue the topic of Sasuke's heavy sleep and proceeded cautiously outside the cave.

"I won't be long. Start up the fire again and warm that left over meat. We'll have that for breakfast then continue towards the Snake army."

"All right," Kasuga obeyed, setting to finding the flint by the wood. Kojyuro only spent ten minutes at the pool, getting in and getting out as quickly as he could; he used his shirt to dry off as well as he could before returning to the cave to find Sasuke awake. He wordlessly gave the shinobi what was left of the soap.

"I'll scout around after I'm done, so I'll be a while. I've eaten already, so no worries," he gave a salute and bounded off. Kojyuro briefly wondered why he would worry about Sasuke in the first place.

_'He's proven he can take care of himself for the most part. As for Kasuga,'_ he looked at her to find that she was biting her lip. Kojyuro sat down heavily across from her.

"Talk to me," he said, staring at her, waiting for her to look at him. She glanced at him, her eyes strained. She was trying to hold something back; her eyes betrayed that she was in pain. Kojyuro looked over his shoulder in the general direction Sasuke had gone.

_'Just what did he say to her?'_ he wondered, looking back at Kasuga expectantly. It took her two minutes of continuously opening and closing her mouth before she finally started.

"He's angry with me."

"And what did you do that got him so angry?" Kojyuro probed, half listening to the sounds outside the cave. He picked up a shred of meat and bit into it, irritated at the bland taste.

"I don't know! I _could_ take a guess that he's mad at me because I keep pushing him away and ignoring him but he's never gotten angry at me for something like that before!" she exclaimed, biting her lip at how loud her voice was. Kojyuro finished off his breakfast and leaned back against his hands, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"I think he's jealous," he informed her.

"W- wh- eh? Katakura-sama?" Kasuga stuttered, at a loss as to why he would suggest such a thing, "even though... with Kenshin-sama sometimes I – he never reacted to that before!"

"Mm, that's true, but you're giving off the impression that you have taken quite suddenly to _me_. You hardly know me, Kasuga, yet you're perfectly fine with being very close to me," Kojyuro got up when she shook her head. He walked slowly around the fire, watching her intently, before sitting down behind her, leaning in close.

"Would you let Sasuke do this, Kasuga?" he breathed in her ear. She gasped softly before crawling forwards and turning around to face him, poised perfectly.

"I see what you mean, Katakura-sama. But for some reason with Sasuke I just can't -!" she turned around swiftly, her kunai at the ready. Kojyuro tensed, eyes on the entrance of their cave.

"... Sasuke..." Kasuga whispered, slowly making her way towards the entrance. Kojyuro followed after her, kicking the fire with his foot to smother the dying embers out. He sidled over to the cave entrance, parallel to Kasuga. He listened to the sounds of the forest – though there wasn't much to listen to.

Sasuke was there then, eyes wide.

"Go, go, _go!_" he whispered harshly, shooing at them. Kasuga sprinted off and before Sasuke could go back the way he came Kojyuro grabbed the back of his poncho.

"Don't even think about it, Sarutobi! You want to make her sick with worry?" Sasuke made to argue with him but Kojyuro jerked him around to face him, snarling in his face, "_don't_ make this any worse then it is. We _have_ to stick together; I refuse to let us get split up," Kojyuro started dragging Sasuke in the direction Kasuga had gone.

"All right, all right, I understand," Sasuke gave up in trying to get away, "the Beast army is here. At least, a large group of assassins is. We have to hurry!"

"Don't tell me something I already know!" Kojyuro growled. He could hear the sounds of clashing metal up ahead; Kasuga had already been found. They got to a break in the woods just in time to see Kasuga get flung into a rockface by a large soldier, his body covered in heavy armor.

"Kasuga!" Sasuke cried, sprinting over to her. Kojyuro kept the soldiers at a distance with his lightning, letting it crackle freely around him.

_'Kami damn it all! I just _had _to waste time talking to him like that. If she's hurt I'm the one to blame,'_ Kojyuro risked a glance over his shoulder. Kasuga looked shaken but she was otherwise unhurt - and attempting to make Sasuke keep his distance. Frustrated, the shinobi hopped over to Kojyuro's side; the soldiers in front of them were wary.

"What do you think, Katakura-no-danna?"

"I say we make a run for it," Kojyuro replied, turning sharply and sprinting into the woods. Kasuga and Sasuke fell in step on either side of him, and the soldiers began their pursuit shortly thereafter.

_'They don't even have to follow us. I don't recognize their armor type from Earthshaker's squad,'_ Kojyuro frowned, _'this isn't a good sign. Does the Beast army just attack everyone they see? Or have they mistaken us for Snake army soldiers? Damn it...'_ Kojyuro skidded to a halt, drawing a katana to deflect a projectile weapon. He grit his teeth when at least seven assassins charged out of the woods at them, their faces hidden behind their masks.

Kasuga and Sasuke darted to either side, Kojyuro taking on the two assassins in the middle. He found them relatively easy to fight, but they were very quick-footed, similar to how Matsunaga Hisahide had fought. Kojyuro dodged one attack, shifting the grip of his katana to his right hand so he could grab the arm of the assassin in his left. He used him as a shield against the other, and the blade of the assassin's ally went right through him. Kojyuro's eyes widened in surprise and the attacking assassin retreated.

_'Now _that's _a sharp blade. Ah, Sarutobi!'_ Kojyuro started towards the shinobi when he saw that he was being over taken. Sasuke's green eyes were frantic but he wasn't looking at the assassins that were trying to kill him.

"Katakura-no-danna! Kasuga – _Kasuga!_" he yelled, spinning rapidly with his weapons outstretched, forcing the assassins to jump back. He leapt into a tree, avoiding a blow from the heavy duty soldier who had finally arrived.

Kojyuro turned on his heel, eyes narrowing when he saw that Kasuga was spinning around, her eyes wide with fear. Obviously there was an attacker near her, but he was no where to be seen.

"Kasuga!" Sasuke called out again; Kojyuro sprinted towards her, dropping his katana.

This was all too familiar.

It reminded Kojyuro of when Masamune had been shot, and Kojyuro had failed to prevent that from happening.

From behind Kasuga Kojyuro saw a flicker, then the assassin appeared. His weapon was strange; it had a cartridge on it, filled with a clear liquid. Overhead Kojyuro could hear Sasuke yelling and the only thought that crossed his mind was that again he had failed to protect someone when it was within his power to protect them.

_No._

Kojyuro heard the voice in his head.

_No, it's not too late._

_'Who... who's voice?' _Kojyuro focused on lightning into his feet. If only he could move _faster_.

_It's not too late._

He heard the voice again and suddenly, in a burst of lightning he was behind Kasuga, in the way of the assassin and this time, successfully protecting someone who was growing on him.

_It's not too late!_

The assassin faltered, but nonetheless Kojyuro felt his odd weapon pierce right through his armor, into his abdomen. A searing pain fanned through Kojyuro's entire body, making him gag as he tried to breathe. He set his hand on the assassin's face and briefly saw the form of another hand, much larger and gnarled, obviously a reptile's paw, complete with curved talons, surround his own hand.

The assassin was sent careening backwards from a bolt of lightning and Kojyuro fell back into Kasuga's arms, the pain in his abdomen robbing him of clarity. Kasuga was screaming at him and then Sasuke was in his bleary vision; he could only hear his heart beating as he closed his eyes, defeated by the searing pain.

_See?_

He heard that odd voice again, and then two bright teal eyes shone in his mind.

_A dragon is _never _too late._

_

* * *

_

A/N: here's to hoping that you are confused by the end of this chapter. Yay for cliffhangers. Feel free to hate me in two weeks when I update from a POV **NOT** related to what happened to Kojyuro *insert evil laugh here*

Going to play some WoW now. Also, starting school this week. Updates to Countervail and my original story are officially fucked (as if they weren't already).

PS: yay for _awesome weird powers!_


	5. Chapter 5

Motochika's point of view.

Timeline: 2 hours after being attacked by Earthshaker.

A/N: Motochika is yet another character that I am unfamiliar with and therefore uncomfortable writing. He is probably most likely OOC, but you will have to deal until I can get better at writing his character. And also, after giving it some thought, there will be more chapters from Hanbei's POV, just because I think that he is one of the most observant characters in the series and I will be using him to point out obvious feelings and what not to other characters. And generally just causing people to be really awkward and cute around each other *coughKasugacoughKojyurocough*. Oh and Mitsuhide seems to always refer to people by their titles, so he calls Motochika "Saikai no Oni" and yes that is how you spell it :3

Enjoy~

* * *

**Chapter5: Evacuation.**

"Hey I got this, no need to look so worried," Motochika tossed his head, grinning at the brunette behind him, "'sides, your husband told me to take good care of ya and good care I'm gonna' take. No complaints, eh?"

Matsu pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, "no complaints but," she glanced over her shoulder and trotted up to stand next to Motochika, "what will we do about those two?"

Motochika followed her gaze to Nouhime and Mitsuhide; the white haired man was swaying slowly after the black haired woman. She was paying him no heed – in fact, she wasn't paying heed to any of them. Motochika sighed.

_'Not much we can do about them... we're in this group together; we'll manage somehow. Clearly Matsu doesn't trust them though... and that's not a good sign,'_ he nudged Matsu with his elbow, making her look up at him, "hey, I thought you and Maeda were allies with the Oda."

"We were allies for the sake of being allies."

"Uh, and now _all_ of us have been forced into this allegiance, whether we like it or not, so we're gonna' have to manage," he leaned down to her level, adjusting his anchor on his shoulder, "I'll protect ya, all right?"

A faint blush skittered over Matsu's cheeks and she looked down, a small smile lighting her lips, "I – I appreciate that, Chousokabe-dono."

He grinned and called out to their other two companions, "oi you guys! Come a little closer eh? It would suck if you guys got picked off without me knowing. And I'm sure your husband wouldn't appreciate it," he pointed out when Nouhime gave him an irritated expression. She hurried closer after he said that, leaving Mitsuhide to begrudgingly follow after her.

_'That mountain looks promising... should go see if there's anything up there,'_ he held his hand out in front of his companions when they drew closer.

"I'm gonna' go up there," he pointed with his thumb at the ledge, "ya'll wait down here. If there's nothing up there we can use for cover, we'll have to find somewhere down here."

Once he received a nod from all three of his wards, he whipped his anchor at the ledge, dislodging the crown and sending it careening upwards. He silently prayed that no one from the Beast army saw the crown shimmer in the fading sunlight. Once he was sure the fluke was caught in the solid earth, he dashed up the side of the mountain. He hoped that he would find a cave – it would be best for them to spend their first night in a safe place.

_'I c'n deal with any bears, wolves... anything occupyin' a cave,'_ he frowned, running along the ledge. The further he ran the more his heart sank. There was no cave on this mountain side.

Motochika gazed out into the horizon; this Japan was certainly different from their own, in a mysterious way. There were hardly any birds in the sky, not even a whisper of the animals calling to each other. It made Motochika feel uneasy as he slid back down the mountainside, back to his group.

When he reached the ground he furrowed his brow; Mitsuhide was gone.

"Ah, Chousokabe-dono, you've returned," Nouhime was speaking to him; he gave her his attention.

"Mitsuhide has gone to see if he can find a place down here for us to spend the night. I take it you didn't find a cave?" her voice sounded hopeful as she explained the situation. When Motochika shook his head Nouhime sighed and sat down on the ground, "well, at least you went to look."

"At least I did. Whe- oh, there you are. Did you have any luck?" Motochika asked Mitsuhide before the man could catch his breath. He grinned a grin that made Motochika feel even more uneasy than the lack of sounds from any animal.

"I did indeed find a place. Come, come, it has some low trees we can rest under."

Motochika nodded and Matsu spoke up, "Chousokabe-dono, I'm worried about food..."

He rested a hand on her shoulder, "I'm worried about the food too. If worse comes to worst, kill me and eat my flesh!"

Matsu's laughter made Motochika feel better; at least she got his joke. Nouhime was looking at him oddly and Mitsuhide wasn't paying any attention as he led them back the way he had come. Motochika released a low whistle upon seeing the spot Mitsuhide had scouted.

"Hey, nice job Akechi. This is a good spot."

"My pleasure," Motochika began to wish that Mitsuhide would stop grinning to manically; he could feel the fear rising off of Matsu.

_'Maybe that's why he's smiling like that,'_ Motochika straightened to his full height, towering almost a foot over Mitsuhide, _'maybe he's trying to scare her,' _he made sure to give Mitsuhide a steady gaze.

After the short staring contest, Mitsuhide's grin faded and he sighed, hanging his head. He walked over to where Nouhime had situated herself and sat down next to her. She didn't appear bothered by his presence, even after he rested his head on her shoulder.

_'They get along, we get along. That's all we need. Just gotta' trust each other, just gotta' trust each other,'_ he gestured Matsu towards the low boughs of a tree. She smiled at him, making his heart jump a little.

_'... aw, don't do that, stupid heart,'_ he followed after Matsu, unwilling to sleep near Mitsuhide. Matsu looked up at him in mild surprise.

"Chousokabe-dono?"

"Hey, I'd rather be near you then him. If you don't mind."

"I don't mind," she assured him, smiling sweetly, "as long as you don't mind."

"'Course not! It's too bad I left my jacket back in our Japan. Guess you'll have to snuggle close if you get cold," he teased, tapping his head against hers. She laughed, pushing playfully at his chest.

"Oh, Chousokabe-dono, stop that!"

He chuckled, setting his anchor down next to him. After several minutes of silence Matsu lay down; over under the other trees, Nouhime nodded off, slumping against Mitsuhide's figure.

Motochika sat awake, staring up through the canopy, _'me, Matsu and Nouhime got our weapons; Akechi lost his when we were fighting with those Beasts few days back... which leaves me as the vanguard... I can't let Akechi get himself killed, and I gotta' keep the ladies safe,'_ he lay back, careful not to disturb Matsu, locking his hands behind his head, _'just gotta' be sure to find some food in the morning. A deer would be best. Yeah, gonna' look for a deer in the morning...'_

He closed his eye, letting himself ease into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Motochika was aware that a warm figure was curled up next to him on his blind side. On the other side, he felt an even smaller form shift against his ribs – his eye shot open immediately.

_'What in the hell - oh it's-!'_

"It's _you_!" he said out loud to the small red Beast, pushing himself up on his elbows. Matsu bolted upright next to him, javelin in hand, eyes heavy with sleep. It dawned on Motochika that she had indeed gotten closer to him during the night. Again he felt his heart skip a beat but he shrugged it off, giving his attention instead to the Predator that now had its paws on his abdomen, tail wagging from side-to-side.

"Hn? Chousokabe-dono, what is it? Who's there?" Matsu demanded of him sleepily. Motochika rubbed the back of his head as the Predator crawled over him, peeping at Matsu.

"Eh, it's just your new pet, that Predator or whatever. The little red Beast."

Matsu smiled fondly, "oh, the little one! I wonder what I should call him?" she asked quietly as the Predator slunk onto her lap. Motochika turned to face her on his fists, crossing his legs in a bow shape.

"How 'bout you call 'im Kogata?" Motochika offered, glancing over at where Nouhime and Mitsuhide had been sleeping. Nouhime was sitting up, poised like the proper wife she was, while Mitsuhide was again missing.

Matsu mulled over the idea of the name in her head, then smiled gleefully, "Kogata – I like that! Do you, Kogata?"

Motochika chuckled at her, "before even knowing if he really does like it, and yer already callin' him by that name. 'Ey, don't glare at me like that!"

Matsu quirked an eyebrow at him before realizing that he was talking about the Predator. Motochika huffed when she started laughing and leaned back on his arms instead.

_'Way too quiet out here... wonder where Akechi wandered off to,'_ he whistled; the shrill sound made Nouhime look at him.

"Where'd Akechi go?"

"Who knows? He was gone when I woke up," she replied while inspecting her fingernails. Motochika scowled, grabbed the staff of his anchor and lurched to his feet. He glared at the black haired woman and noticed her tense under his stare.

"Yeah, would do us good to lose that guy to the Beast army, 'uh? You two ladies stay here, and by here I mean, _right damn here_," he shouldered his weapon and strode away from Matsu, keeping his eye pinned on Nouhime until she moved to sit near the other woman.

"I'll go lookin' for 'im. If he comes back, make sure he stays put with you. And if I don't come back in half an hour, ya'll keep heading that way," he pointed behind the women. Matsu rose to one knee, her eyes narrowed back with concern.

"But, Chousokabe-dono -"

"Don't argue with me, Matsu. Just do as I say. If it's the Beast army I dunno' how long I can hold 'em off; you have to get out of here in case they decide to come lookin' for ya. I'm takin' command here, as a general, and your husband told me to look after ya, and look after ya I will. Stay put," he faced ahead and walked towards the trees in front of him before stopping and whipping back around, jabbing his finger at the Predator.

"You. You make sure they _stay_," Motochika only allowed himself to relax when the Predator crawled off Matsu's stomach and yipped at him. It sat on the ground like a guard hound. Motochika hurried off into the woods.

_'Looks like he went this way. Ah, Kami, I'm glad he's a bit of a laze in the mornin', wouldn't be so easy to follow him otherwise,'_ but the more broken branches and scattered leaves Motochika passed the more apprehensive he became. He flexed his hand on the staff of his weapon, turning his head this way and that. It was at moments like these he wished he could see out of both eyes.

Up ahead he heard a branch snap, causing him to jerk to a stop and drop into his basic stance. He waited patiently, listening carefully for any other sound. He heard muttering after a while, _'... sounds like Akechi... huh, maybe he caught something.'_

Motochika cautiously stepped forward, ducking his head to look under a tree branch; he let himself relax.

Next to the head of the deer was one of Nouhime's guns; Mitsuhide was scratching the back of his head, clearly wondering what he was going to do with the large animal. Motochika eyed the gun again, _'it's just within arms reach of him.'_

"Akechi," he called; he ducked behind the tree slightly when Mitsuhide's hand shot towards the gun. A painful second dragged by and Mitsuhide turned his head – he looked afraid, Motochika noticed with surprise; he stepped out from behind the tree.

"It's just me. I'll carry that for you uh but... don't wander off like that eh?" Motochika informed his companion as he adjusted his anchor on his back. Mitsuhide grasped the grip of the pistol before shuffling to the side, granting Motochika easy access to the deer.

_'Pff, took one of Nouhime's weapons and killed a deer? Can't believe I didn't hear the gunshot... right to the head too,'_ Motochika grunted once he had hefted the deer onto his shoulders; he turned.

"C'mon, Akechi. Gotta' get back to the ladies or else they might leave us."

"And why, Saikai no Oni, would they do that?" Mitsuhide asked in that creepy voice of his that made Motochika want to high-tail it away from him.

"'Cause I told 'em to if I didn't come back in half an hour, with or without you," Motochika cringed when Mitsuhide laughed.

"I'm touched, Saikai no Oni, that you were worried for me," he grinned and Motochika grimaced.

"Riiight, don't mention it. Ever."

* * *

Motochika rubbed the heel of his palm over his forehead; it had been nearly a week since he, Matsu, Nouhime and Mitsuhide were separated from the rest of the group. He was dangling his feet in the river the Predator had found – _'though I guess I should be calling 'im Kogata, since that's his name now.'_

A glance over his shoulder and he let himself relax. Mitsuhide was busy gutting the fish Motochika had caught earlier farther upstream, while Nouhime introduced a small flame to the wood that Matsu had prepared. Motochika could soon smell the fire.

Matsu had collected as much dead wood as she could, so Motochika hoped their fire wouldn't let off too much smoke and give away their position. He had no idea of where they were, but judging from the gradual drop in temperature he assumed they must be heading in the direction of Oshuu – Masamune had said it would get colder the closer they got to the territory anyway.

_'And that's his own place. He should know what it's like where he lives and rules,'_ Motochika glanced over his shoulder again, allowing himself a small smile at the sight of Matsu playing with Kogata. Her standing next to Toshiie flashed through his mind and he sighed, hanging his head.

She was the perfect wife. Toshiie was lucky to have her by his side, _'not only that, but she's the first woman to even take up arms against me, and so fearlessly too...'_

"Chousokabe-dono?" Matsu's hand touched Motochika's shoulder; he looked up at her.

"Hm?"

"You're being so quiet over here. What are you thinking about?"

A bead of sweat rolled down Motochika's forehead, _'well I can't exactly tell 'er that I um... was thinkin' about her...'_

"Eh, nothing really... I guess I should be thinkin' about how we're gonna' get to the Snake army eh?" he replied to her as she sat down next to him. A gentle smile had touched her lips; seeing that smile made Motochika's heart flutter again.

_'Oh gees seriously now cut that out,'_ he grumbled to himself, _'she's married. _Married,_ damn it, married.'_

He soon noticed that she was shivering. Mitsuhide and Nouhime sounded like they were arguing behind him; Matsu shuffled closer, her bare arm touching his.

_'... something's not right. Kogata's bein' way too damn quiet. He ain't even movin',' _he glanced towards his anchor, leaning against a nearby tree. It wasn't within arm's reach but he would be able to reach it if he put enough force into his legs to flip away from the river.

"You cold, Matsu?" he asked, leaning forward and turning his head so he could see her better. She was sitting on his blind side, which made him quite uncomfortable with the strange atmosphere around him. It was making him tense.

"Ah, yes..." Matsu replied after a moment's hesitation. Motochika patted his left thigh.

"You c'n sit 'ere. I don't mind."

Motochika was sure she would refuse, but to his bewilderment she contemplated the idea and then easily lifted herself on her arms and deposited herself in his lap. They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Motochika couldn't resist wrapping his arms around her, lowering his chin to her shoulder.

"Ch-Chousokabe-dono?" her voice was quiet and nervous. Motochika narrowed his eye, staring at the water.

_'... I knew something wasn't right,'_ he thought as he tightened his arms around Matsu and raised his legs so that his feet were on the edge of the bank. He launched himself into the air, the sudden action startling a short scream out of Matsu.

He landed right next to his anchor and grabbed it, barking for Nouhime and Mitsuhide, "Akechi! Oda! Come 'ere quick!"

Nouhime touched her arm to Motochika's – she was on his right, cocking her pistols – and Mitsuhide stood back to back with the pirate general, peering over his left shoulder. Across from where Motochika and Matsu had been sitting, a soldier wearing dark gray armor stood poised to strike. Motochika instinctively tightened his hold on Matsu again when the soldier made a slight movement; Kogata snarled at him, back arched like a cat as he slowly stalked towards the soldier.

"A Predator huh? Kinda' known for changing the atmosphere to alert their allies of danger," Motochika could hardly decipher what the man was saying his voice was so distorted.

"You have Matsu's javelin?" Motochika asked in a low voice as the soldier appeared to be distracted by Kogata.

"Yes, I have it, Saikai no Oni," Mitsuhide whispered back, tapping Motochika's ankle with the butt of the staff. Motochika furrowed his brow as the soldier observed them, shouldering his broadsword. The soldier didn't look like he was from the same squad as Earthshaker.

_'Damn it,'_ Motochika thought inwardly as more soldiers crept out of the woods; two of them faded away from sight, making the pirate general nervous. He was at a disadvantage here. His armor wasn't very versatile and it didn't protect his stomach; he was going to be the target of those assassins.

"Look, Akechi, Oda. Two of them just disappeared. You gotta' flush 'em out for me. Or maybe... Kogata! Come 'ere," he called over the little Predator and he came bounding over. Motochika finally let go of Matsu and dropped to one knee in front of the Predator.

"I need your help," he started, glancing up at the soldiers, "I need you to find those assassins for me. We don't have good armor, ya know? They'll kill us off easy."

Kogata nodded his head and backflipped into the nearest tree. Everyone went stiff, Motochika fixing his eye on the soldier with the broadsword. Kogata shrieked and Motochika charged, clashing with the big soldier right away. The man parried his blow easily and brought his sword up broadside. Motochika let it hit him towards another man wearing a cape; he grabbed the man and slammed him into the ground.

Kogata raced around, snapping his jaws at something. The moment the assassin flickered into view Nouhime was firing off shots rapidly, making him curse as he attempted to dodge the bullets and Kogata. Mitsuhide was having the time of his life protecting Matsu, slashing viciously at anyone who came near.

_'Seems like they're all converging on me,' _Motochika noticed in dismay, _'they know they have to get rid of me first,'_ he had the man with the cape by his throat; he was clawing hopelessly at Motochika's hand.

Kogata came barreling over and Motochika felt a prick in his back. Quickly, he released the caped man – whom leapt back and tripped – before encasing his body in fire. The assassin behind him couldn't take the heat and dashed away, pursued by Kogata. The soldier with the broadsword attacked, bringing his sword down in a heavy blow; Motochika blocked it, grunting.

_'They're so damn strong!'_ even Nouhime was having trouble keeping them at bay. She had to deal with the other assassin, but she was clearly struggling with him disappearing at every moment.

"_Tobu! Taromaru!_" Matsu's trusty falcon swooped down from the sky, talons outstretched. It caught the assassin in the side of his helmet, granting Nouhime enough time to race forward and press the nozzle of her pistol to his head. She shot – even with tough armor like that, the bullet still went in. Not all the way through, but it was enough to take the assassin down – Motochika hoped.

_'Good, the girls are okay – OH SHIT!'_ Motochika leapt clear of a flying boulder. He glared up the sky, _'so that man with the cape is a mage like Earthshaker... damn it...'_

"_Shoumei: Boutou*!"_ the mage commanded, snapping his hands in an upward motion. Motochika jumped back, slamming against a tree; it winded him, but at least he had dodged the spike that burst out of the ground, though it sunk back in. The swordsman was upon Motochika then and he tried to bring up his anchor only to find that it was being held down by the second assassin.

"Chousokabe-dono!" Matsu cried, running towards him only to be stopped by Nouhime.

Motochika prepared himself for both blows, but Mitsuhide appeared in front of him. The sadistic man blocked the blow from the swordsman, but took the assassin's blade in his stomach. Motochika growled, jerking his anchor upwards and forcing the assassin away. A spot of red caught Motochika's attention and he saw that Kogata had been injured, though the small Beast was still trying to help; he was crawling along the ground, dragging his hind legs. Clearly the assassin had broken Kogata's hips.

Motochika caught Mitsuhide as the man fell over, "Akechi! Oi, Akechi!" the general bit his lip, _'this isn't good. I hope there wasn't poison on that blade. Please don't let there be poison on that blade.'_

Angry that he had let this happen, Motochika faced the last three soldiers. He figured they were a scouting party, but for a scouting party to actually be fighting them... it made Motochika uncomfortable. His anger at himself, however, overpowered his anxiety and he lifted his anchor in front of him.

"_Shoumei: Ikari Shuyoubu*," _he wasn't sure what made him say the words, but they came naturally to him, and a look of fear was etched into the mage's face. Flames engulfed the head of his anchor and formed a larger anchor head around the weapon. Motochika could feel the power of the attack as it surged through him; he breathed deeply as he rested his anchor on his left arm. The mage dropped down from the sky in front of his allies and Matsu and Nouhime had reached Motochika's side, pulling Mitsuhide out of the way.

"_Chokushutsu_," Motochika ordered and the flaming anchor head rocketed off his weapon with so much force Motochika was once again slammed against the tree.

"_Sousa: Douheki!*" _the mage slammed his hands into the ground, causing the earth to burst up around him and his allies. Motochika wasted no time in grabbing Mitsuhide off the ground as his attack burst on the wall of earth, breaking it in places.

"C'mon let's move quick! Oda, pick up Kogata. Don't complain just do it! We gotta' run. That definitely got the attention of other soldiers, damn it!" Motochika urged the women to run ahead of him as he threw Mitsuhide onto his shoulder and followed after him. There was a big commotion behind them now and Motochika grew worried. Arrows raining down on them shortly after that did nothing to repel his worry.

Motochika quickly created a firewall around them, managing to burn away most of the bullets. Mitsuhide was bleeding heavily and Motochika feared that he might die if they didn't tend to the wound in his stomach soon.

"Oh come on gimme' a break!" he yelled in frustration. A Beast army soldier must have heard him because someone started laughing, which prompted Motochika to yell "it ain't funny" over his shoulder, which only induced more laughter.

To make matters worse, Motochika saw several flickering people running parallel to his group. He knew they were assassins, and he knew that they weren't going to get out of this alive.

_'No. No the ladies will, I'll make sure they do,'_ he told himself vehemently, _'it's useless to continue running.'_

Motochika stopped, dropping Mitsuhide on the ground, and turned to face the oncoming soldiers. There were so many of them; too many for Motochika to fight and survive through. Nouhime and Matsu must have noticed he had stopped because their footsteps could no longer be heard.

"You two go ahead. Get to the Snake army. Don't worry about me," he ordered, not bothering to look over his shoulder. It would make it harder for him to force them to leave.

"But, Chousokabe-dono -"

"Don't argue, Matsu! Just go! Your husband told me to take care of you and I damn will! Now go!" he regretted looking over his shoulder then, to see her face. She didn't look so much scared as she looked worried, but he could see the confusion in her eyes. Probably confusion as to why he had held her the way he did before the swordsman had almost attacked them. He quickly looked back ahead, gritting his teeth.

_'Don't look at me like that! Just don't...'_ he bit his lip, ready to block the swordsman that was almost upon him -

"Nakami*! Shuu*!" a voice barked from behind and then there were two shinobi in front of Motochika. Blades burst out of the back and arms of the male while the female had a short sword in hand. The bladed shinobi began to spin and the female sped after an assassin, winning the battle with him as quickly as she had started it before she dashed after another. The soldiers unlucky enough to get caught by the bladed shinobi were ripped to shreds as he rotated, the sharp blades easily slicing them into parts.

Strong arms jerked Motochika back and yet another shinobi picked up Mitsuhide.

"Quickly, bind his wound! Stop the bleeding," it was the same voice Motochika had heard earlier; the two shinobi in combat suddenly leapt back, landing in front of Motochika who now sat on the ground in shock. He heard Kogata make a sound similar to a relieved sigh.

A man in a gray-red suit dropped down next to Motochika resting a hand on his shoulder. To the shinobi around him he said, "all of you, prepare for combat. General, are you all right?" it took Motochika a moment to realize that the man was talking to him.

The shinobi's hair was swept up in a most interesting way, like that of a cockatiel when it fluffed up the crown of its head. His eyes were swirling orbs of orange red; they looked like fire. And even his swirling orange eyes looked like they were from some sort of fowl, as did his sharp facial features. His hands too looked like the talons of a large bird of prey.

Motochika stared at him, and finally managed to ask, "who the hell are you?"

"I am Phoenix, captain of the special operations squad, shinobi of the Snake army. We were looking for you, Chousokabe-san."

* * *

_Shoumei: Boutou -_ Manifest: Sudden rise/Sharp rise.

_Shoumei: Ikari Shuyoubu - _Manifest: Anchor head (this is not 100% accurate, but it was the best I could come up with).

_Chokushutsu -_ Shoot (or, more accurately, "shooting straight out". There will also be characters who simply say "Shoot").

_Sousa: Douheki_ - Manipulate: Rock wall (I got that from Naruto lol).

Nakami = Blade.

Shuu = Shooter.

Kogata = little one/small one.

A/N: Yes, Motochika is talking to his heart and telling it not to be all butterfly like :3 Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and it's introduction to Snake army shinobi and OMFG WTF PHOENIX KNOWS HIS NAME? POSSIBLEH HOW? You'll see ;D All shinobi names were changed from English to Japanese... well, at least the ones that it made sense to change.


End file.
